Interdisciplinair onderzoek en impact

The calls for more cooperation between disciplines, stakeholders and regions with its hopeful potential to solve the major societal challenges of today, have increasingly found their way into the research and innovation policy agenda at European and international level. While targeted policies throughout the research and innovation chain are being developed and deployed, the effects of those efforts are far from trivial. On the one hand, this concerns the very notion of interdisciplinarity (IDR), such that the conceptualisation, delineation and indicators for measuring this phenomenon, have not yet been systematically discussed and assessed in terms of their relevance and validity at different levels. On the other hand, the impact of IDR related to the scientific and technological progress, as well as to the broader socio-economic level lack systematic evidence. The aim of the PhD is thus to contribute to a better understanding of those multidimensional facets of IDR, as well as provide and validate indicators to better map and measure IDR and its impact on different levels.