The multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary movement studying Collaborative Networks (CNs) introduced terminologies, reference architectures, methodologies and models, with the aim of helping the design, creation, operation and maintenance of CNs, and its virtual organisations (VOs). Almost a decade ago, the IST European VOMap project reported a lack of ‘well founded theory and models’ for sustainable collaborative networks, and this article is an attempt into this direction. The article defines and introduces ‘Cybernetics of Collaborative Networks’ (C2N) as a field of CN-research intended as a unified theory of CNs, formalising, synthesising, harmonising and systematising individual CN-related results addressing management and control problems in CNs. Through this envisaged synthesis, the paper invokes a number of relevant reference models and corresponding theories to outline a possible reference model and theory for self-designing CNs.