Trials and tribulations of international scientific collaborations

COMSCI 4

A. Willem DeGroot, AWDeGroot@dow.com, Plastics R&D, The Dow Chemical Co, 2301 N. Brazosport Blvd, B-1470, Freeport, TX 77541 and Freddy van Damme, fvdamme@dow.com, The Dow Chemical Company, Terneuzen, Netherlands.
The Dow Chemical Company, as a large, international company, relies heavily on both internal and external to Dow collaborations. Often, in order to find expertise in particular fields, it is necessary to collaborate internationally. This brings up additional complexities such as language and cultural differences that aren't present in more local collaborative efforts. In this talk we will relate some successes, as well as, failures. The audience will see that there are many similarities between the ingredients necessary for a successful marriage and those necessary for a successful international collaboration.