Practical Advice for Assessing Grant Applications

Lyall, Catherine; Bruce, Ann; Tait, Joyce, Meagher. Laura, Interdisciplinary Research Journeys, Huntingdon, GBR: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2011 [http://www.bloomsburyacademic.com/view/Interdisciplinary-Research-Journeys/book-ba-9781849661782.xml ] also provides detailed advice on assessing grant proposals:

· There should be quality criteria for interdisciplinary research: A proposal for a new initiative should indicate the expected synergistic outcomes from the combination of disciplines and approaches involved, the likely benefits for disciplines (in the case of academically oriented interdisciplinary research) or the societal or business benefits (in the case of problem-focused interdisciplinary research). Bear in mind that elements of both may be incorporated in the same project.

· Do not expect a problem-focused interdisciplinary initiative to contribute immediately to enhancement of the knowledge base of any of the individual disciplines involved. Any single project is unlikely to deliver discipline-related breakthroughs as well as the other synergistic benefits of integrating disciplines. To expect to find both in a single proposal is to make unrealistic demands on the researchers. [We could nevertheless hope that the enlarged context in which the discipline’s contributions are placed, and the connections established to variables traditionally studied by other disciplines will make delayed impacts on the disciplines quite likely.]

· Look for a good understanding of the disciplines involved, and of their limitations, and a clear justification for the choice of disciplines based on the contours of the research questions.

· Look for evidence that the researcher or the research team have understood the challenges of interdisciplinary integration, including methodological integration, and the ‘human’ side of fostering interactions and communication, and have developed an effective strategy to deal with these challenges. Interdisciplinary projects may need to develop and change as they proceed. The proposal should therefore be set out in broad steps but with a flexible timetable that recognizes that the ordering might change: while the end goal should be clear, the routes to achieving it might be subject to revision as the project progresses.

See also Questions Arising from Transdisciplinary Experience

And: Bammer G (2016) What constitutes appropriate peer review for interdisciplinary research? Palgrave Communications. 2:16017 doi: 10.1057/palcomms.2016.17.

And: Didier Wernli and Frédéric Darbellay, "Interdisciplinarity and the 21st century research-intensive university" (November 2016), a League of European Research Universities Position Paper, provides numerous recommendations for interdisciplinary grant administration. See: http://www.leru.org/files/publications/Interdisciplinarity_and_the_21st_century_research-intensive_university.pdf