Abstract
The importance of international research programs or formal dedicated endeavors to international research, at the university, corporate, or governmental levels is rarely questioned. Research, in the sciences, humanities, medicine, law, and social sciences rarely has borders. The issues on these matters do not pertain to problems of the value and validity of the research or the desire to conduct such international research ventures. Problems arise in the multitude and multifaceted barriers that conducting and managing such research creates. The open literature is flooded with articles on this subject from a plethora of research areas as diverse as nursing to atmospheric sciences and virtually any other subject imaginable. These challenges have been and are currently overcome at the individual project level. The problems compound when institutional plans to establish and coordinate international research endeavors are desired and established. Many universities understand the value of conducting international research and actively promote such ventures but find themselves at a loss on how best to establish, run and manage university wide efforts. This research looks at the state-of-the-art review of the literature in focused institutional research endeavors and the challenges, barriers, best practices, and management opportunities to address this growing issue confronted by the modern research university.