The first of four InsSciDE policy briefs is available for download.
The policy brief on Building an interdisciplinary European science diplomacy targets European institutional governance, research & funding, pedagogy and knowledge transfer.
Science diplomacy is at the core of work to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. InsSciDE’s first policy brief argues that science diplomacy is, by its nature, an interdisciplinary endeavour, and that supporting interdisciplinarity at multiple levels will allow us to make the most of its transformational power. The paper advocates a multi- and inter-disciplinary understanding of science, which takes into account a diversity of knowledge systems within academia and society.
Stemming from the values of the InsSciDE project, the paper recommends that policy- and decision-makers should:
Governance
– Incorporate interdisciplinarity into the governing structures of scientific institutions and diplomatic academies by adjusting hiring and promotional practices to value interdisciplinary expertise and skills. Encourage interdisciplinarity in the governance of non-state actors that may be relevant for science diplomacy.
Research & Funding
– Design and secure innovative funding schemes through multi-institutional and intersectoral collaboration, and create specific interdisciplinary research opportunities. Increase flexibility in `funding frameworks to support the interdisciplinary endeavour.
– Offer guidance and criteria for incorporating and evaluating excellence in interdisciplinarity in research.
Pedagogy
– Promote curricula, starting at undergraduate levels, which ensure that teaching approaches integrate knowledge from different disciplines, in this way demonstrating the impact of interdisciplinarity on the core disciplines involved.
Knowledge Transfer
– Foster conditions for data mobility and accessibility across disciplines to support interdisciplinary research.
– Build platforms and physical/virtual meeting places for interdisciplinary collaborative actions.
Click to read the policy brief in full.
