Interdisciplinary Research Symposium

The Chartered ABS Interdisciplinary Research Symposium brings together Directors of Research and senior staff within UK business schools; and representatives of the interdisciplinary collaborator community, research funders, and other stakeholders.

The Symposium is the opportunity for detailed and candid discussion about how interdisciplinarity is leading to innovative research that is helping to tackle today's grand challenges; the extent to which the ecosystem is sufficiently enabling interdisciplinary research through funding opportunities, promotion pathways and the REF; and how business schools and parent institutions can further incentivise and catalyse interdisciplinary research.

By the end of the Symposium, participants will have:

• New insights into how interdisciplinary research is creating solutions to complex societal challenges and helping to tackle grand challenges

• A deeper understanding of how business schools, and parent universities, in formal and informal ways can enhance their capacity for interdisciplinarity, support Early Career Researchers, and develop promotion pathways that more effectively recognise interdisciplinary activity

• Fresh ideas about how to tackle tension that can exist between the value placed on interdisciplinary research and disciplinary-oriented publication goals

• Greater clarity about the evolving funding landscape and the practicalities of accessing funding for interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research

• Enhanced knowledge about how interdisciplinary research activity will be assessed in the REF and what is being done to incentivise interdisciplinary outputs

• New perspectives of the day to day realities of being involved in an interdisciplinary research project

• New ideas about the roles business schools can play in interdisciplinary research within and across institutions

The Symposium will be led by expert guest speakers with discussions facilitated by members of the Chartered ABS Research Committee.