Research has always been an important aspect in advancing knowledge and progress in society.  Social research provides insights into the concerns of the society and helps to evaluate the effectiveness of policies in addressing social issues, scientific research helps to generate knowledge that advances our understanding of the world, leading to many new technologies and practical applications, from health to defence and even to public policies.

For decades, researchers and in particular, scientists tended to work in their laboratories, often alone or within the confines of their research groups.  However, the outcome of the research done by these scientists has global impact.  Scientists and researchers can no longer work in silos.  Climate change and Covid pandemic have highlighted the complex challenges and issues face by the world which require not only one or two researchers working together to find solutions to these global problems.  In this era of post-normal times, collaborative science has become important in research endeavours to address these increasingly complex socio-environmental challenges and knowledge divides.   The presentation will discuss some ways in which collaborative science and partnerships are done amongst researchers and scientists to ensure a sustainable future and the roles research managers and administrators play in fostering and enhancing these partnerships.