To address scientific challenges resulting from a rapidly changing environment and complex scientific questions, many scientists have formed formal or informal networks comprised of experts across a range of pertinent disciplines. Despite the rapidly increasing number of these networks, there has been little systematic examination of this approach to answering large-scale science questions. Funds are provided for a workshop to examine the common challenges facing emerging grass roots networks such as identifying compelling scientific questions as well as leadership, coordination, governance, communication, social interactions, data access and management, authorship, and long-term organizational sustainability. The workshop will provide a forum to identify critical aspects of the creation and operation of these networks, as well as the kinds of scientific inferences that have been made by grassroots networks. The workshop and resulting activities will enhance capacity of the scientific workforce by assembling a diverse (gender, career stage, institution type) set of participants that include leaders of individual grassroots networks as well as experts in the newly emerging discipline of the science of team science.
