The future of research is interdisciplinary

Interdisciplinary collaboration is no longer a peripheral aspiration in research strategy; it is a core institutional capability — and its importance is rising because today's most urgent and complex challenges rarely fit within the boundaries of a single discipline. With that said, the value of cross-disciplinary work extends beyond tackling grand societal problems. From small, exploratory projects to large-scale research programs, you can unlock more nuanced questions, richer evidence and more creative pathways to discovery when you combine diverse viewpoints, skills and methods.

Interdisciplinary projects nurture a research ecosystem that is both innovative and resilient. The quality and impact of the work itself, as well as the researchers' perspectives and capabilities, stand to benefit. By working on these projects, participants become better prepared to thrive within the increasingly interconnected future of research, while revealing new patterns and insights.

Fostering these collaborations and foregrounding their value are important endeavors, but they rarely unfold by serendipity alone. They require intentional leadership, supportive structures and enabling technologies. Creating the conditions for interdisciplinary collaboration to take root — and sustaining it over time — paired with supportive tools and approaches that help spark and guide these connections, can play an essential role in strengthening your organization’s research ecosystem.

For those evaluating how best to create the conditions for interdisciplinary collaboration and research to flourish, it may be useful to ask:

• How will interdisciplinary collaboration help broaden researchers' networks?

• Can it capture, surface and communicate interdisciplinary outcomes effectively?

• Will it make collaborative projects easier to discover, support and build upon?

• Will high-quality interdisciplinary work be adequately recognized and rewarded?

Reflecting on these questions can help clarify where to focus your efforts and which approaches will most effectively strengthen your institution's interdisciplinary ecosystem.

What is interdisciplinary collaboration and why is it challenging?

The term “interdisciplinary” is used in many contexts, but its core meaning in research is relatively precise.

Interdisciplinary research brings together two or more disciplines in an integrated way to solve a problem or advance understanding in a way no single discipline could address alone. Synthesis of knowledge is a key feature of this method. It could be conducted by an individual or through collaboration.

Interdisciplinary collaboration refers to the human and organizational dimension that makes this research possible: researchers from different disciplines working together through coordinated, sustained teamwork or partnerships.

The two concepts go together, even though they're not synonymous. This article primarily focuses on collaboration between disciplines as the mechanism to pursue interdisciplinary research.

Why interdisciplinary collaboration can be challenging — and how to aim for success

Interdisciplinary collaboration projects are often, by their nature, harder to manage than those with a narrower scope. At the most fundamental level, researchers come from distinct professional cultures, with different methods, vocabularies and expectations — and they may have few opportunities to work together or even socialize with colleagues outside their distinct fields. Interdisciplinary teams, therefore, often need support in establishing the foundations that enable collaborative work to thrive. Key challenges include:

• Finding common ground in research approaches and expectations: Differences in methods, assumptions and ways of measuring outcomes can shape the success of a project. Interdisciplinary teams must establish shared standards of consistency and rigor, integrating practices of multiple disciplines without compromising the unique strengths of each.

• Identifying and building connections with potential partners: Sometimes, the most challenging step is simply identifying collaborators. Even when working at the same institution, researchers may work in proximity for years without interacting across departmental lines, remaining unaware of colleagues, untapped potential, who could enrich or transform their work. Without systematic ways to surface expertise across fields, promising collaborations may never begin.

Successful interdisciplinary collaboration, therefore, depends not only on individual initiative but on leadership decisions and support structures.

Note: The origins of interdisciplinary collaboration

Interdisciplinary collaboration is not a new phenomenon. Although recent focus on interdisciplinary projects has brought renewed attention to its value, scholars have been debating and refining these concepts since at least the 1930s. Today's teams continue a long tradition, now equipped with modern tools and technologies that strengthen their ability to bridge fields and pursue shared goals.

Why interdisciplinary collaboration matters for higher education institutions

Interdisciplinary collaboration has become a strategic priority for many higher education institutions because it strengthens research impact, supports innovation and aligns with global funding and policy trends. As emphasized in Elsevier’s article Bridging the innovation gap: Why collaboration matters for sustainable impact, leaders who create environments that encourage collaboration are better positioned to drive sustainable, high‑impact research outcomes — reinforcing the need for intentional systems that support cross‑disciplinary work. And while interdisciplinary collaboration can introduce additional complexities, the benefits it offers to researchers, institutions and society far outweigh the demands. It not only helps address the world’s most urgent problems but also enhances everyday research practices, where fresh perspectives can unlock new possibilities. Key benefits include:

• The scope to address global and systemic issues: Put simply, when seeking impactful answers to big-picture questions and problems with global implications, it is valuable to bring together expertise from across fields. The biggest priorities in the world today, from addressing climate change to relieving world hunger, demand wide-ranging responses. These central issues can act as the "gravity" that brings specialists together.

• Expansion of research and educational portfolios: Universities that support and foster interdisciplinary collaboration can spur the creation of new degree programs, research centers and seed-funded initiatives, aligned with strategic priorities. By bridging boundaries between research areas, these developments expand an institution's potential for novel discovery.

• Increased institutional and individual visibility and reputation: Interdisciplinary projects can draw media attention, engage policymakers and attract interest from government and funding bodies. These network effects strengthen institutional resilience. As discussed in Elsevier’s article Funding, focus and the future of sustainable research, sustained impact depends on aligning collaboration, visibility and funding priorities across the research lifecycle.

• Growing networks and expanding capabilities: Interdisciplinary work connects researchers with new collaborators across fields and often institutions, widening their professional networks and opening pathways to future partnerships. These experiences also strengthen individual and team capabilities by exposing them to new skills, methods and perspectives and approaches, building the capacity needed for more ambitious collaborative research.

• Competitiveness for large-scale and mission-driven funding: Major funders — including UKRI, Horizon Europe and some national research councils — prioritize interdisciplinary approaches. This means researchers must be able to demonstrate effective collaboration, but they can only do so when their institutions provide the right structures, incentives and support. As a result, interdisciplinarity becomes both an institutional and individual priority, shaping how teams are formed, supported and evaluated.

Achieving these priorities means first assembling interdisciplinary teams and then effectively reviewing and assessing their work. Given the complexity of uniting different fields of research, these challenges require thoughtful solutions. Successful interdisciplinary collaboration makes demands of both the people performing the work and the organizations sponsoring and funding it. Both individuals and institutions need the right structures, tools and encouragement to pursue, foster and sustain successful interdisciplinary strategies.

What global trends are shaping interdisciplinary collaboration?

While interdisciplinary collaboration has been a focus for a century, it feels especially fresh and relevant today. Part of this momentum is driven by policy and funding priorities worldwide. Governments and funding agencies increasingly prioritize interdisciplinarity as essential to addressing complex societal challenges.

Frameworks and grant schemes implemented by government bodies have directly foregrounded collaborative projects. Tracking countries' stance on interdisciplinary work can reveal their overall approach to research priorities.

• Australia: The Australian Research Council (ARC), which promotes research across every discipline except medicine, uses its wide remit to fund interdisciplinary projects. Interdisciplinary proposals are eligible for the National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP), and there are occasionally targeted programs to publicize them.

• European Union: Interdisciplinary funding programs in the EU include an effort to align socioeconomic sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines with other areas of research and within the field itself. The goal of the program is to encourage full integration of SSH into science as a whole and build a lasting framework for such collaboration.

• United Kingdom: The U.K. has used schemes such as a pilot called the cross research council responsive mode (CRCRM) to promote interdisciplinary projects within U.K. Research and Innovation (UKRI). Applicants for grants demonstrate how their projects combine two disciplines covered by research councils to achieve transformative results and true collaboration.

• Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Research Grants Council (RGC) drives interdisciplinary and cross‑institutional collaboration through a suite of major programs. The Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) supports multi‑investigator, multi‑disciplinary projects via three grant types: the Collaborative Research Project Grant, Collaborative Research Equipment Grant and Young Collaborative Research Grant. In addition to local initiatives, the RGC manages cross‑border and international partnerships such as the NSFC/RGC Joint Research Scheme, the NSFC/RGC Collaborative Research Scheme and co‑funding mechanisms with European and French research agencies, all of which aim to deepen collaborative research across disciplines and regions.

These pilots and funding opportunities show that governmental bodies see the potential in increasing their respective interdisciplinary capabilities. Researchers will find it easier to interact with and apply for such funding when they have effective ways to surface expertise, discover collaborators and demonstrate interdisciplinary impact.

What can help researchers collaborate outside of their disciplines?

There are multiple reasons for research organizations to adopt advanced digital tools and solutions, including a role in identifying, operationalizing and assessing interdisciplinary collaborations.

While academic leaders widely recognize the importance of cross-disciplinary work, many institutions struggle to translate ambition into practice. In the Academia Futura survey, 79% of respondents stated that they see interdisciplinary collaboration as a priority, yet fewer than half, however, felt they were effective at advancing this goal. One contributing factor is how credit is assigned for collaborative work. In some institutions, recognition for team outputs — such as grants, publications or patents — is split among collaborators, which can unintentionally discourage participation. Approaches that more fully acknowledge each contributor’s role can better incentivize interdisciplinary engagement.

There is an especially acute need for individual researchers to expand their ability to identify potential partners across disciplines, both within their own institutions and beyond. Even when potential collaborations are identified, establishing and working within those collaborations brings its own set of challenges.

To move beyond that familiar landscape of their own fields and find partners in beneficial and synergistic disciplines, researchers need tools that surface people, projects and emerging areas of interest. While the responsibility for forging those connections rests with individual researchers, software solutions can make the process easier.

Tools such as SciVal, Scopus and Pure help institutions identify, support and strengthen the collaborations that drive research excellence. These platforms help surface researchers who have complementary expertise for interdisciplinary initiatives, whether that is within or outside of their own institution. They can also help identify emerging research areas for collaboration and highlight who is leading in those fields. Furthermore, individuals within research institutions can showcase their own work within the relevant databases, becoming discoverable and encouraging potential collaborators to make connections.

Research librarians, deans, research administrators and professional services teams play a critical role in enabling these connections. Beyond ensuring that researchers’ work is visible and accurately represented, institutions can strengthen interdisciplinary engagement by aligning incentives — for example, recognizing collaborative work in promotion criteria, rewarding team based outputs and providing seed funding for crossdisciplinary initiatives. These structures signal that interdisciplinary collaboration is valued, making it more likely to take root and thrive.

Overcoming interdisciplinary difficulties

In addition to the challenges of finding collaborators without established in-field connections, other difficulties sometimes come with interdisciplinary work. Collaborators crossing disciplines in their work have a need to align around the language and approach they use in their research, along with expectations and outlets for dissemination. This is especially the case when work doesn't fit neatly within established disciplinary categories.

To support effective interdisciplinary collaboration, researchers can participate in training programs and fellowships explicitly designed to promote cross-disciplinary skills and networks. They can also use sophisticated databases to present their expertise and contributions in ways that are visible and meaningful across disciplines. If they do so, potential collaborators will find it easier to discover, understand and engage with their work.

The rise of interdisciplinary research in global rankings

Interdisciplinary research is gaining new prominence as it becomes formally recognized in major global rankings. One notable development is the launch of the Times Higher Education (THE) Interdisciplinary Science Rankings, created in partnership with Schmidt Science Fellows. These rankings, introduced in 2024 and expanded in 2026 to more than 900 institutions worldwide, assess universities on their interdisciplinary inputs, processes and research outputs drawing on bibliometrics from Elsevier’s Scopus data and metrics extracted from SciVal

This matters because adding interdisciplinarity to a high-visibility ranking system signals to institutions, funders and policymakers that crossdisciplinarity research is strategically important and valued.

Interdisciplinary collaboration as a strategic priority

Interdisciplinary collaboration has become a defining priority for research-intensive institutions. As global challenges grow more complex and funding bodies increasingly emphasize cross-disciplinary approaches, universities must be able to understand, support and scale collaboration across traditional boundaries.

For academic leaders, the opportunity lies not only in encouraging interdisciplinary activity but in gaining the insight needed to foster it intentionally. Clear visibility into institutional strengths, emerging research areas and collaborative networks enables more informed decisions about investment, support structures and long-term research strategy.

To explore how data, insight and evidence can support interdisciplinary collaboration and research strategy, read our ebook or subscribe to Future aligned: Turning strategy into practice for perspectives on what’s next in research leadership.