Launching its report today ‘Implementing interdisciplinarity in research-intensive universities: good practices and challenges’, LERU provides an important update to its seminal 2016 study on interdisciplinarity whose findings have been referenced worldwide. It also acknowledges the key insights that the SHAPE-ID (Shaping Interdisciplinary Practices in Europe) consortium has made to the field of interdisciplinary research since the 2016 report.
Dr Didier Wernli, Associate Professor at the University of Geneva the author of the original LERU paper said:
“The idea for the paper came in 2021, five years after the adoption of the 2016 position paper. The question was: what have universities done? What are the challenges and obstacles? In addition, some important EU-funded projects, such as SHAPE-ID, have provided insights about the challenges associated with interdisciplinary research, from methodological to institutional issues.”
The 2023 report recognises the interconnected challenges increasingly facing the university and society at large which require a multi-factorial approach and engagement from researchers and policymakers from across the disciplines and sectors.
Speaking on publication of the report, Professor Jane Ohlmeyer from the School of Histories and Humanities, coordinator of the SHAPE-ID project, and former director of the Trinity Long Room Hub, said:
“We've never needed interdisciplinarity more than we do now, in terms of global challenges and how we tackle the big societal issues that the world faces. Whether it's climate, housing, or the environment, there’s a recognition now that interdisciplinarity is vital, and that the arts, humanities and social sciences are an integral part of finding solutions to these ‘wicked problems’.”
The report stresses that the current challenge is implementation and reification of existing inter- and transdisciplinary practice, with an emphasis on increasing research and career opportunities for scholars while embedding these practices in wider academic structures.
Led by the Trinity Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Research Institute with five European partners, the SHAPE-ID project published its toolkit in 2021. The toolkit includes essential supports to address these challenges from the case study on Research Infrastructures for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, the "Top Ten Tips” series, based upon the experience of SHAPE-ID partners, which addresses issues such as mentoring academic careers in inter- and transdisciplinary research, to their guided video tours for research leaders. The toolkit was described in the European Commission’s 2022 independent review as a “world-class resource” that positions Europe as a leader in the field, warranting “careful consideration” by policymakers.
The 2023 LERU report also identifies and celebrates the research and structural achievements implemented across LERU institutions since 2016, demonstrating the significant successes in the fields of inter- and transdisciplinarity, while also including their recommendations for further progress in these fields. It also emphasises the importance of a supportive university framework for inter-and transdisciplinary research.
Trinity’s E3 learning foundry is included in the report as a significant step forward in this regard, as an €80 million project with both capital and human commitments which involves the “integration of financial and student targets within three STEM schools... Both the building design and teaching concepts centre around multi-disciplinary teaching across these schools.”
Professor Eve Patten, Director of the Trinity Long Room Hub said:
“We welcome LERU’s report and its major new study on the state of interdisciplinarity in research-intensive universities. For over three years now, through our Horizon 2020 SHAPE-ID project, we have been addressing the challenges faced by interdisciplinary researchers, and particularly that of integrating AHSS with other disciplines. We know that there are enormous benefits for society in these types of collaboration and it is encouraging to see LERU endorse the important groundwork that the SHAPE-ID consortium has done in moving these conversations forward.”
Professor Sinéad Ryan, Dean and Vice President for Research, also welcomed the report by LERU:
“To see Trinity so prominently featured in LERU’s latest report on interdisciplinarity is testament to the important work conducted by the SHAPE-ID project which is led by our arts and humanities research institution, the Trinity Long Room Hub. Creating a more collaborative research environment that values all disciplines is vital for any university and is something Trinity is proud to have provided leadership on at a European level.”
To read the full interview by Professor Didier Wernli and Professor Jane Ohlmeyer, please see here.
SHAPE-ID will host a webinar with LERU on Tuesday 23rd May at 11am (12 noon CET) to discuss its report. Further details to follow.