Interdisciplinary research
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All Mistra programmes combine research in a number of different disciplines, with the aim of understanding and finding solutions to complex environmental problems. Often this requires a concerted effort across the boundary between natural sciences and engineering, on the one hand, and social sciences, economics and humanities, on the other. For such an endeavour to succeed, programmes need to find productive arrangements for collaboration and for synthesis of the research undertaken.In this connection, Mistra´s experience is that particular attention needs to be paid to the following:
• Programme-wide meeting places
• A shared analytical framework and language
• Developing a team spirit
• Conscious leadership
• Interdisciplinary quality control
Programme-wide meeting places
Create and make use of programme-wide meeting places, to promote better mutual understanding of your different disciplinary perspectives and your various contributions to the common goals of the programme. Even if you are not conducting your re s e a rch together, it is important that you collaborate in planning it and synthesizing the results. The intended users of your results also need to be involved in this joint undertaking. The programme manager and management group have an important part to play in leading the process. Consider setting up specific synthesis projects, to facilitate cross-disciplinary synthesis work within the programme. Often it takes a bit more organization to make collaboration across disciplinary boundaries happen and produce results.A shared analytical framework and language
Interdisciplinary collaboration is easier if you develop a shared analytical framework and a common language for the programme. Your joint application to Mistra provides a starting point for this. It is important that everyone is aware in advance how the different areas of research relate to the overall picture, and how these different components are to be pieced together as your work progresses. A shared analytical framework facilitates this. It is also important to know what meanings are attached to different concepts, to avoid people talking at cross purposes. Invest time and mutual respect in the process of arriving at a common language.Developing a team spirit
It is easier to cooperate if all concerned feel they are part of a team and share team objectives. Developing a team spirit within the programme is a good way of strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration. Get to know each other, and think about the social dimension, too, when programme participants meet.Conscious leadership
An interdisciplinary approach requires clear-sighted, purposeful leadership of the programme. This is particularly true when researchers are based in different departments or institutes and have limited previous experience of cross-disciplinary cooperation. The programme manager and project leaders need to be aware of their role as ‘brokers´ between different research cultures and must create working arrangements and incentives that encourage collaboration across disciplinary boundaries within the programme.Interdisciplinary quality control
Your programme may need to develop a system of interdisciplinary quality control. Existing university and college departments offer quality control within their particular disciplines, but more rarely at an interdisciplinary level. Make use of the academic breadth of the programme to establish mechanisms for quality assurance from a crossdisciplinary point of view. It is a good idea to agree quality criteria for the interdisciplinary dimension of the programme.Frequently asked questions
What does interdisciplinary research mean to Mistra? Most problems in the environmental sphere are so complex that the knowledge generated within a single academic discipline is not sufficient to understand them or to help solve them. To Mistra, interdisciplinary research is about combining knowledge from several different disciplines to enable us to understand and find solutions to complex environmental problems. Often this requires a concerted effort across the boundaries between natural sciences/engineering and social sciences/economics/humanities.
