Introduction—Grand Challenges and small steps

Abstract

This collection addresses two different audiences: 1) historians and philosophers of the life sciences reflecting on collaborations across disciplines, especially as regards defining and addressing Grand Challenges; 2) researchers and other stakeholders involved in cross-disciplinary collaborations aimed at tackling Grand Challenges in the life and medical sciences. The essays collected here offer ideas and resources both for the study and for the practice of goal-driven cross-disciplinary research in the life and medical sciences. We organise this introduction in three sections. The first section provides some background and context. The second motivates our take on this topic and then outlines the central ideas of each paper. The third section highlights the specificity and significance of this approach by considering: a) how this collection departs from existing literature on inter- and trans-disciplinarity, b) what is characteristic about this approach, and c) what role this suggests for the history and philosophy of the life sciences in addressing Grand Challenges.

Revamping the Image of Science for the Anthropocene

“…To this list, we add the need for scientists to cultivate the wisdom to distinguish between productive and unproductive interdisciplinary collaboration. In this regard, one potentially helpful way forward is to take lessons from recent philosophy of science that has specifically addressed the reasons behind successful interdisciplinary work (see special issues : Brigandt 2013;Grüne-Yanoff and Mäki 2014;De Grandis and Efstathiou 2016). Collaborative gains are not always self-evident, and the ability to perceive them is itself an epistemic virtue that should be fostered explicitly (Macleod and Nagatsu 2016).…”

To Share or Not to Share? Knowledge Convergence and Divergence in Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration

“…This question is especially salient in crossdisciplinary teams, which are engineered for knowledge diversity by inviting members from diverse disciplines to integrate knowledge and derive innovative outcomes (e.g., Bammer et al, 2020). "Grand challenges" that represent exceedingly complex problems, such as sustainability, poverty, and cybersecurity cannot be solved by single individuals or specializations and therefore demand broad representation across multiple disciplines (De Grandis & Efstathiou, 2016). However, cross-disciplinary teams must also build substantial integration to make the best use of diverse expertise (Allen et al, 2017;Bammer et al, 2020;O'Rourke et al, 2016).…”

Delivering on the promise: how are sustainability research institutes enabling interdisciplinary research?

“…The advancement of inter- and transdisciplinary research within universities are seen by many academic institutions, expert groups and funding bodies as essential for solving wicked problems and grand challenges facing society (Horlick-Jones and Sim, 2004; Wickson et al , 2006; Lawrence, 2010; Bammer et al , 2020; Lang et al , 2012). In particular, it is widely accepted that many global sustainability and environmental challenges require research at the boundaries of scientific disciplines (Kates et al , 2001; Ostrom, 2009; Hirsch-Hadorn et al , 2006; De Grandis and Efstathiou, 2016; Miller et al , 2014 ) . In the past two decades, there has been widespread adoption of interdisciplinarity[1] as an institutional goal amongst universities (National Academy of Sciences, 2005; British Academy, 2016; Feller, 2002; Brint, 2005).…”