Study zeroes in on public/private partners

The University of Albany's Center for Technology in Government plans an

international project to research effective ways that public- and private-

sector organizations can collaborate on electronic government.

The project, still in preliminary stages with many details to be worked

out, will pair the center with Quebec-based Le Centre Francophone d'Informatisation

des Organisations (CEFRIO), a nonprofit research center dedicated to improving

organizations' performance through new technologies.

The project, "Multinational Investigation of New Models of Collaboration

for Government Services to Citizens and Businesses" will study collaborations

between governments, corporations and nonprofits in the United States, Canada,

and probably five other countries. Stephanie Simon, spokesperson for the

center, said the countries would most likely be from Europe, Latin America

and the Far East.

Once the specific countries and collaborations are chosen, various researchers

will attempt to shed light on the best ways to form a successful partnership,

including what type of agreements are necessary and how to choose the best

people.

The National Science Foundation's Digital Government Program has provided

a $30,000 seed grant. The research is expected to take at least a year.