Coordinating Centers play a crucial role in fostering collaboration and resource sharing across large research initiatives. Led by Sage Bionetworks and funded by National Cancer Institute's Division of Cancer Biology, the Multi-Consortia Coordinating (MC2) Center was established to transcend disciplinary perspectives in cancer research through integrated transdisciplinary science. Here, we outline the development and implementation of the MC2 Center Collaboration Hub, designed to facilitate a culture of openness, support the exchange of ideas and deploy engagement strategies that transition researchers from isolated project silos into engaged communities. Over three and a half years, we have guided a network of more than 1,200 predominantly unconnected researchers through distinct phases of team science development: Inception, Establishment, and Maturity. The insights from this work offer a roadmap and specific tactics for guiding a community through distinct lifecycles, transitioning researchers from silos to an engaged community.

The collaboration hub was designed on a philosophy of community-driven support, leveraging a continuous cycle of evaluation and iterative improvement. Some of the core activities of the hub included communication strategies, organizing and hosting events, and the facilitation of collaborative groups.

Through a strategic and multi-faceted engagement approach, we successfully operationalized collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement across the network:

Fostering Meaningful Collaboration: We hosted up to seven annual meetings each year for approximately 500 total annual attendees. Beyond traditional podium presentations and poster sessions, these meetings featured specialized workshops and sessions designed to emphasize tool and resource sharing, education, outreach, and inter- and intra-program collaboration. These events consistently resulted in researchers actively discovering new collaborative opportunities and useful resources.

Innovative Engagement Strategies: We prioritize the deep integration of Junior Investigators (JIs) and Patient Advocates in our programming. Demonstrating agility, we successfully planned and executed a Virtual JI Meeting in just 10 weeks after an in-person event was canceled, engaging 91 attendees through talks, posters, and networking.

Continuous Evaluation and Strategic Pivots: We utilize post-meeting surveys and stakeholder debriefs to iteratively improve systems and processes. Recognizing that researchers were not utilizing Slack for asynchronous collaboration, we opted not to force platform adoption, instead choosing to meet the community where they are. Similarly, we are actively evaluating Special Interest Groups, initiating conversations about merging, restructuring, or sunsetting groups based on authentic community interest and capacity rather than pushing for higher attendance metrics.

As we transition into Years 4 and 5 of our community, our focus is dedicated to fully realizing an integrated, collaborative, and transdisciplinary community. In the coming year, we are hosting investigator-led Cross-Consortia Virtual Symposia focused on cross-cutting themes that transcend cancer types and research disciplines. These Symposia will build toward our in-person All Consortia Meeting, where advisory committees will help facilitate continuation activities to deepen these newly identified collaborative intersections. The All Consortia Meeting will also prioritize talks focused on increasing transdiscipline awareness, understanding and adoption to increase potential collaborative opportunities, as well as tool and resource adoption.