CSPC 2019

Panel Organized by: UK Research and Innovation North America 

Increasingly, complex research problems are not solved by single disciplines and research at the frontiers of disciplines can be transformative. Bridging another gap – that which can exist between research and innovation – is the next necessary transformation but can be a difficult process. As public funders we have a responsibility to help these transformative outcomes flourish by fostering collaboration not only at disciplinary interfaces, but between sectors and where there is mutual benefit between nations.

In the 21st century research is firmly accepted as a global enterprise, with increasingly interdisciplinary underlying questions, and solutions requiring cross-sector collaboration. With so many actors involved, how do we handle the complexity and mitigate the potential for confusion?

This panel will explore how funders, business and academia can work together to develop shared languages, clear objectives and simplified structures. We will explore how national strategies for research and innovation can shape collaboration, how structural changes can help organisations achieve their ambitions, identify challenges and solutions for working across disciplines, sectors and nations, and give examples of how this plays out in practice.