The paper presents the main results of the KOMET (Knowledge and cOntent structuring via METhods of collaborative ontology design) project, which aims to develop a novel paradigm for knowledge structuring based on the interplay between cognitive psychology and ontology engineering. By the knowledge structure (a conceptual model) we define the main domain concepts and relations between them in the form of a graph, map or diagram. This approach considers individual cognitive styles and uses recent advances in knowledge engineering and conceptual structuring; it aims to create new, consistent and structurally holistic knowledge bases for various areas of science and technology. Two stages of research have been completed: research into correlations between the expert’s individual cognitive style and the peculiarities of the expert’s subject domain ontology development; and research into correlations between the expert’s individual cognitive style and the group ontology design (including design accomplished by grou