While the TREC I initiative included unique structural elements to facilitate collaboration among the funded centers, many interview participants nonetheless identified important project management challenges specific to cross-institutional collaboration. Institutional differences in routines and procedures, including the ways that samples and data are collected (e.g., measures), stored (e.g., electronic databases), and analyzed (e.g., assays), as well as related work processes (e.g., long-standing laboratory contracts), posed practical challenges to cross-institutional collaboration. In addition, communication via email and phone was generally less effective and efficient than in-person communication, producing miscommunication at times, and slowing the research process.
