Interdisciplinary Research HE Sector Day聽was organised by BU鈥檚 Research & Knowledge Exchange Office and聽invited academics, funding bodies and facilitators from across the UK to talk and learn more about interdisciplinary research.
Attendees participated in a full day聽of聽talks, seminars and networking sessions聽aimed at encouraging academics to work with colleagues and companies from different subject disciplines.
聽Professor Michael Wilmore, Dean of the Faculty of Media & Communication opened proceedings and was followed by key note speaker, Dr Louise Mansfield from Brunel University and the聽What Works Centre for Wellbeing.
Topics ranged from the benefits of cross-sector research, to funding availability and interdisciplinary research case studies. Participants on the day were encouraged to use the networking sessions to share research best practice and to explore the challenges and benefits of working collaboratively with colleagues from different areas.
BU鈥檚 Professor Adele Ladkin spoke about her research, , which was an interdisciplinary project involving colleagues from three other universities each of them with a different聽 specialism. Adele explained how Family Rituals 2.0 developed from a sandpit exercise hosted by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), and the research group they formed at the event were awarded funding from EPSRC.
Dr David Hutchinson from the University of Portsmouth spoke about his adventures in science as an interdisciplinary research facilitator and academic. Speaking after the event, he said: 鈥淚 have a real passion and interest in interdisciplinary research. I think it鈥檚 really important that we get good at it because it鈥檚 the thing that will really help us solve these big society challenges.鈥�
He also spoke about the qualities needed to be an interdisciplinary researcher, he commented: 鈥淚t鈥檚 not about the money, it鈥檚 not about the funding agencies. Good interdisciplinary research boils down to good relationships between different sorts of people.鈥�
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