Structural Typology of the Formal S&T Collaborative Networks in Iran: A Multiple-case Study

The present research investigates the governance structure of seven science and technology (S&T) collaborative networks founded from 1995 to 2005 in I.R. of Iran. Conducting a qualitative inquiry and using multiple-case study method, researcher has collected related data adequately from semi-structured interviews with key informants, observation, and archived documents. In this article, several types of governance structures and key actors of S&T networks as well as roles of the actors are described and classified. We used the content analysis method and cross-case analysis technique to derive some implications from the processed data. The paper concludes that S&T networks in Iran, have utilized two main types of governance structure namely: participative and hierarchical. The hierarchical structure enhances the power of the network director but decrease the social capital of the network, while the participative structure leads to the reverse results. The study shows that a number of factors affect the type of network’s governance structure such as; network’s main financial sponsor and the position of network’s founding organization in contrast with network’s members.