Interdisciplinary research in computing is vital for addressing complex societal challenges. However, despite its importance, fostering successful interdisciplinary collaborations remains a significant challenge. The Computing Research Association (CRA) and its Computing Community Consortium (CCC) gathered insights from 40 experts across academia, industry, and government through a series of roundtable discussions to identify challenges in interdisciplinary research. The results of these discussions are being published in a series of best practices documents. The first, published in July 2024, recommended best practices for researchers collaborating on interdisciplinary teams. This second paper of the series focuses on how these collaborations can be better supported by funders, including government agencies, industry, philanthropic donors, and non-profit organizations.
Why Interdisciplinary Research Needs Special Support
Interdisciplinary research is high-risk, high-reward, and requires a long-term commitment — often 5-10 years to yield meaningful results. Research involving multiple diverse disciplines also often requires more communication and planning to ensure all researchers understand what each other is doing and how their work fits into the project overall. Furthermore, interdisciplinary contributions may not fit traditional publication formats, making it difficult for this kind of research to be published and for researchers themselves to be evaluated for their part in a project, which is key during tenure review and promotion evaluations.
CRA’s and CCC’s Recommendations
Supporting Early-Stage Interdisciplinary Research
To promote successful interdisciplinary research projects, funders can offer funding for early-stage projects, such as seed grants, and workshops or travel funds, to allow researchers to demonstrate collaboration before applying for larger grants. Funders can also support training programs in team science and interdisciplinary skills, helping researchers manage complex collaborations and develop effective communication and project management practices.
Overcoming Research Proposal Barriers
Interdisciplinary research projects should not be reviewed in the same way as intradisciplinary projects. Proposal review panels should consist of experts in each field of study that is represented in the proposal, and these reviewers should understand how their area of expertise plays a part in a given proposal. Funders can also support interdisciplinary researchers by providing funding for researchers to attend conferences outside their primary discipline and training on how to write successful interdisciplinary research proposals.
Incentivizing Broader Interdisciplinary Research
Funders should consider the specific needs of individual interdisciplinary research projects and tailor funding to these needs. Funders can also prepare young researchers for careers in interdisciplinary research by funding programs that develop interdisciplinary curricula and mentorship programs for PhD students.
Conclusion
Interdisciplinary research is essential for tackling the complex challenges our society faces, yet it requires tailored support to overcome its unique obstacles. Read the CRA’s and CCC’s full list of recommendations for funders to support interdisciplinary research here. Stay tuned also for the third and final paper in this series, which provides recommendations for organizations to support their interdisciplinary research teams.
