On the classification and management of Virtual Organisation Breeding Environments

Wide variety of domains and applications have identified the need for collaboration among heterogeneous, autonomous and geographically disperse organisations. Virtual Organisations (VOs) represent a main form of network for goal-oriented and opportunity driven collaborations. Effective creation of dynamic VOs requires proper breeding environments. After introducing the base for collaborative-networked organisations, the concept of breeding environment for virtual organisations is presented, key elements of this environment are identified, and a semi-typology is established. Furthermore, the requirements for a Virtual organisations Breeding Environment (VBE) support management system are addressed, identifying its initial information/knowledge modelling needs and functionalities, towards a new generation of information systems for collaborative environments.