Many scientific breakthroughs, new products, and solutions have their roots in interdisciplinary research or innovation. Innovation occurs because a topic or issue is illuminated and addressed from different perspectives that challenge traditional disciplinary boundaries, methods, ways of thinking, or worldviews. It is a widely held belief that major societal challenges should be addressed through interdisciplinary efforts because, among other reasons, it increases the likelihood that the new solution will be broadly accepted and utilized.
DFiR's project on Good Interdisciplinarity in Research and Innovation highlights, among other things, the grant system's awareness of and openness to interdisciplinarity. For DFiR, it is clear that there is no single model or recipe for good interdisciplinarity in research and innovation. DFiR's project identifies areas where special efforts can be made to increase the likelihood of successful interdisciplinarity.
There are many examples of well-functioning interdisciplinarity. If these successful examples are showcased and their stories told, others may be inspired to strengthen their interdisciplinary efforts.
In the project process, DFiR has considered all types of interdisciplinarity in research and innovation. Different types of interdisciplinarity create different potentials—as well as barriers. The greatest benefit of well-functioning interdisciplinarity occurs when the involved disciplines collaborate equitably from the start.
DFiR has conducted three background analyses
1. Instruments for Interdisciplinarity:
Initiatives specifically aimed at promoting interdisciplinarity have been launched in Denmark and internationally by councils, foundations, universities, and under the EU's framework program for research and innovation. Many of these initiatives are implemented through so-called instruments, often in the form of competitively allocated program funds for the execution of specific projects. Professor David Budtz Pedersen has studied for DFiR how a number of instruments over the past ten years have supported interdisciplinary science, including how interdisciplinarity has been articulated and assessed.
2. Literature Review on Interdisciplinarity -Financing and Establishment of Interdisciplinary Teams:
A review of selected articles, analyses, and reports has summarized knowledge about both the potentials and challenges of interdisciplinarity and the utilization of diversity in a broad sense. A total of 50 titles from the past 15 years have been reviewed from two perspectives:
- An external perspective focusing on initiators/funders
- An internal perspective focusing on researchers and those who receive grants for project.
- Read David Budtz Pedersen & Rolf Hvidtfeldt (2021): Literature Review on Funding and Composition of Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation Teams (PDF).
3. Interview Study:
DFiR has conducted an interview study with grantors, grantees, and companies. The purpose is to uncover how these three groups with different starting points work with interdisciplinarity and the composition of highly diverse teams.
As part of the project, DFiR has published two briefs:
- DFiRbrief 26: Does Interdisciplinary Science and Interdisciplinary Initiatives Work as Intended? (Only accessible in danish).
- DFiRbrief 30: When Interdisciplinarity Succeeds, It's Really Good (Only accessible in danish).
Workgroup
DFiR's workgroup for the project "Good Interdisciplinarity in Research and Innovation"
- Mette Birkedal Bruun (Project coordinator)
- Jes Boreng
- Anna Haldrup
- Kristine Niss
- Thomas Sinkjær