This study was undertaken in response to an initiative of JISC, the UK's Joint Information Systems Committee. JISC has taken an active role in supporting VRE development in the UK through its VRE Programme that has just gone into its third phase1, and had commissioned four studies to look into different aspects of VREs. One of the studies was meant to look at VREs and research collaboration in a wider international context – the VRE Collaborative Landscape Study.