Interdisciplinarity: Why do we keep talking about it?

She is well aware that academic staff have a lot on their plate. Engaging in networks and participating in cross-disciplinary collaboration, whether on research or education, requires an extra effort. But it is important, and therefore she continues to encourage academic staff at Health to reach out and engage more broadly in collaboration.

"Cross-disciplinary collaboration is a prerequisite for us being able to contribute to solving major health challenges. Whether it takes place in or outside the faculty's formal research networks is not that important," says Dean Anne-Mette Hvas.

We can only solve complex health challenges together

According to Anne-Mette Hvas, interdisciplinary collaboration that takes place outside the faculty's five formalised interdisciplinary research networks is just as important as what goes on in the networks.

"I understand that not everyone can see themselves in one of our five established networks, even though the networks are wide-ranging and open to all. And that’s not necessarily the idea either. The important thing is that researchers reach out and engage in networking in general: That they are open to collaborating with people who are not like themselves," she says and elaborates:

"It’s my wish that at Health we engage even more in collaboration across disciplines, cultures and research fields. That we know each other's academic profiles and competencies, and are curious about each other's ideas and explorations."

The problem addressed is the starting point – not the team

Anne-Mette Hvas goes on to say that interdisciplinarity – i.e. cross-disciplinary collaboration – should be a means to achieve the goal and not the goal itself.

"The desire to contribute to solving a given health challenge must be the focal point of our research, and we shouldn't confine ourselves to the research group or department we’re a part of. We need to work together in a cross-disciplinary manner, both internally at the faculty, at AU and with the surrounding society – nationally and internationally. This applies regardless of whether we’re addressing the demographic challenges associated with a growing elderly population; how to handle the large number of people with multiple health conditions likely to face our healthcare system in the future; or something completely different," she says.

How do we best support interdisciplinary activities?

"With the five interdisciplinary research networks, we’ve created a framework for interdisciplinarity. The purpose of the networks is to make it easier for researchers at Health to work together and draw on each other's expertise. Because we all know that it requires a bit more to work with people from other disciplines and with other specialist competences than what we’re used to," says Anne-Mette Hvas.

She therefore asks researchers for their input on how the faculty management can best support budding or ongoing interdisciplinary initiatives in the academic environments.

"I'm curious to know what – in addition to the established research networks and the activities and possibilities they offer – will make it easier for researchers to engage in new collaboration outside their usual circles. How can we help? What do you need in relation to administrative support or management support, for example?" she asks and calls on researchers at Health to submit their proposals, preferably via email to dean.health@au.dk.

Other interdisciplinary collaboration platforms

When she was employed as a professor at the Department of Clinical Medicine, Anne-Mette Hvas benefited greatly from working together with her colleagues at the Department of Biomedicine, among others, and it helped improve her research within bleeding and blood clot diseases. She is aware that it is important to say yes to activities that lie outside one’s comfort zone and primary field of expertise – and she does so on behalf of herself as well as on behalf of the faculty.

"I think that PIREAU (Platform for Inequality Research at Aarhus University) is a good example of how we can make a bigger difference together than each of us individually by combining different competences and disciplines across the university. Several faculties conduct research into aspects of health inequalities, and as I see it, it’s absolutely imperative that we work together to solve the growing problems with this particular challenge in our society. I’m not myself involved in PIREAU, not as a researcher, but I’m an advocate of Health being strongly represented and involved in projects under PIREAU," she says and continues:

"In my experience, cross-disciplinary collaboration is hugely beneficial to research and researchers alike, but I’m not naïve. I'm well aware that interdisciplinarity asks a lot of those involved. Trust, inclusiveness, mutual respect, thorough alignment of expectations, among other things. That’s why I ask for input on how we can make things easier for researchers. Because it’s not something we can get around. The major, complex health challenges that we want to help solve require interdisciplinary efforts," she says.
 

Read more on the respective websites of Health’s research networks

At Health, we have five interdisciplinary research networks that work together on research and education within the following subject areas:

• The Inflammation Network
• The Food and Nutrition Network
• The Personalised Medicine Network
• Neurocampus Aarhus
• The Cardiovascular Network

The networks discuss and collaborate on topics which are of interest to society in general, and they are open for researchers at Health and other AU faculties, as well as for collaboration outside the university, including with industry.

The five networks hold regular events focusing on academic development, knowledge sharing, mutual inspiration and networking.

You can also follow four of the five research networks on LinkedIn

• The Inflammation Network
• The Food and Nutrition Network
• The Personalised Medicine Network
• The Cardiovascular Network

Read the article series about early career researchers in Health's research networks

• "PhD student entered into collaboration with engineers after meeting in research network"
  (Neurocampus Aarhus)

• “Why are you here?”
  (The Food and Nutrition Network)
• “PhD student sees professional network as a showcase for early career researchers”
  (The Inflammation Network)
• "Personalised medicine... and omics for everyone"
  (The Personalised Medicine Network)
• “Not just a cosy coffee club network for older men”
  (The Cardiovascular Network)
   

Contact

Dean Anne-Mette Hvas
Aarhus University, Health
Email: dean.health@au.dk