Getting Collaborative Networks Sustainable: Drivers and Barriers Within a Digital Laboratories Network

Abstract

Rapid technology changes and the transition to digitalised production and education pose significant challenges to engineering education. Hands-on experimentation requires access to new technologies, often in a lab setting. Crossorganisational collaboration and resource sharing can reduce costs and increase utilisation. Success depends on trust, practical resource management, smooth service delivery, and performance. This paper presents an initial evaluation of a resource management approach using an online lab booking process, considering stakeholders' various roles and needs. In addition, we gathered external inputs through two surveys targeting industry and students as potential customers and interviews with professionals working in collaborative working environments to assess drivers and barriers to network success using SCOR metrics. These findings are essential inputs for lower-level design decisions, such as designing the underlying business models, the relationship between education and research for the labs, the rules of use, and how to motivate collaborators.