Working with customers and suppliers is the most highly rated form of collaboration by firms, according to a study by science and technology think-tank Cest. It was voted most important by 85 per cent of FTSE 100 and FTSE mid-250 companies in a Cest survey. Collaborating between firms on issues of lobbying (66 per cent) was next most important, followed by standards (57 per cent). Cest says the swing towards extreme competition between firms over the past 20-30 years could start to reverse as more realise the benefits of constructive collaboration.