What term describes a collaboration where two or more organizations work together while maintaining their identities?

The term "alliance" specifically refers to a collaboration in which two or more organizations come together to achieve common goals while still maintaining their individual identities. This term emphasizes mutual interests and the cooperative nature of the relationship without requiring the entities to merge or change in fundamental ways.

An alliance typically allows each organization to contribute its unique strengths to the collaboration and enables a coordinated effort towards shared objectives. For instance, in a medical publication context, a pharmaceutical company might form an alliance with academic institutions to conduct research while keeping their distinct operational frameworks intact.

Considering other terms, a consortium usually refers to a group formed for a specific purpose, often with members pooling resources for a project but can suggest a less flexible arrangement than an alliance. A coalition implies a more formalized and often more politically focused collaboration, which might not align with maintaining individual identities as closely as an alliance does. A partnership is a broader term that often connotes a deeper level of integration or shared identity, which might not be the focus in this scenario. Each of these options has slightly different implications regarding the nature and depth of collaboration compared to the clear concept presented by an alliance.