European Commission

ResearchGATE promotes scientific cooperation

ResearchGATE has successfully launched this year as the leading social network for natural scientists. It offers many cutting-edge tools and applications for researchers to interact and collaborate. By now, more than 17,000 users have signed up and the number is growing daily.

Social networking for researchers

The website offers several possibilities to communicate with other researchers. Members can present their profile and work, manage and extend their professional contacts, join or found groups, ask or answer questions, share or search papers and more. With no effort, researchers get to know colleagues worldwide that are working on similar subjects. A job board will be launched within ResearchGATE shortly. The platform is free, safe and without spam.

All features and tools are custom-made for researchers. For example, a newly developed semantic search engine allows researchers to find groups, papers, fellow researchers and everything else within and outside of ResearchGATE without having to read through dozens of irrelevant search results. The "similar abstract search"-functionality allows users to upload entire abstracts and find thematically related papers not only within the platform, but also in external databases such as PubMed.

A multi-purpose tool

Not only single users, but also previously existing networks like research projects, scientific associations or PhD programs can manage their cooperation with ResearchGATE. To this purpose, sub-communities with additional functions can be installed within the network. They allow these groups to communicate confidentially in isolation from the rest of the platform while using all its tools.

Making ResearchGATE work

Among the users are the European Science Foundation (ESF), the Max Planck PhD Net and GAIN (German Academic International Network). In addition, Rebirth, an excellence cluster at the Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover (MHH), communicates on the platform. MHHs dean Professor Dr. Christopher Baum says: Now it is up to us scientists to develop fast and safe tools for transferring knowledge together with the founders of ResearchGATE.

'ResearchGATE combines a virtual network for researchers with a powerful semantic search algorithm, says Dr. Ijad Madisch, ResearchGATEs CEO. The goal is to make the scientific workflow more effective. We constantly improve the functionality of our applications and implement new features always based on our users feedback. They know best how the platform can comply with their needs.

ResearchGATE is based in Boston, Massachusetts and Hannover, Germany and is managed by a group of active scientists. They are supported by an advisory board with esteemed professors from 18 countries. CEO Dr. Ijad Madisch, Ph.D., is a Harvard-trained virologist.