One of the issues facing the Centre is the ability to facilitate team-based research when members of those teams are spread throughout New Zealand. Online collaboration tools and shared workspaces are being explored by Bio-Protection Research Manager Belinda Sleight, as an aid to this nationally-based collaborative research.

The intention is to develop a secure online area in which Centre newsletters and general information may be obtained, reporting requirements may be fulfilled (e.g. an online database in which Project Leaders can simply enter outputs from their projects), and shared workspaces for individual research teams made available in which they can store and share files, archive emails, etc.

This technology will become increasingly useful as all major funding providers are stressing the importance of multidisciplinary team approaches to research. In practice, this will usually mean research teams will consist of a number of people in a number of different locations.