Institutional Collaboration, Context and Learning

Collaboration between institutions is inherently difficult; requiring working across different worlds. In this paper collaborative activity between institutions is conceived of as an actualisation of context in the social relations of production of the evolving collaborative activity. The paper draws on the work of Marx in unfolding the social relations of production of a Marine ICT Cluster and three main institutions involved in the evolution of the Cluster. As the Cluster evolves perceptions of tensions and contradictions is an inevitable process of the mediation of context embedded in the social relations of production. Learning is inherent in these social relations. Using these core concepts, this paper aims to bring together a conceptual framework developed in my PhD thesis.