Challenges for IIASA’s
interdisciplinary research

Leen Hordijk, IIASA, Austria

IIASA-RITE International Symposium
Tokyo, Japan, 12 March 2007

Outline
IIASA: a brief overview
Why aiming for interdisciplinarity?
“Data” collection: Modeling, evaluation
and research council experience
Stumbling blocks
Success factors
Conclusions

History¾ 1967 initiative of US President Johnson and Prime
Minister Kosygin, Soviet Union¾ Create research center as a“neutral bridge between east and west”¾ Original Charter signed in 1972 by 12 countries¾ 1994 Ministerial Conference: renewed mandate as
independent, scientific institution¾ In addition to East–West also North–South,
meaning Global

Mission
The Institute’s strategic goal is to conduct
international and interdisciplinary scientific studies toprovide timely and relevant information and options,addressing critical issues of global environmental,
economic and social change, for the benefit of thepublic, the scientific community, and national andinternational institutions.

From: IIASA Enters the Twenty-first Century, 2000

Current 18 Members¾ Austria¾ China¾ Czech Republic¾ Egypt¾ Estonia¾ Finland¾ Germany¾ Hungary¾ INDIA (NEW)¾ Japan¾ Netherlands¾ Norway¾ PAKISTAN (NEW)¾ Poland¾ Russian Federation¾ Sweden¾ Ukraine¾ United States ofAmerica

Research themes andprograms 2006 - 2010
ENERGY and TECHONOLOGY
Dynamic Systems
EnergyTransitions to New Technologies
ENVIRONMENT and NATURAL RESOURCES
Atmospheric Pollution and Economic
Development Land-Use Change and Agriculture
Evolution and Ecology
Forestry

Research themes andprograms 2006 - 2010
POPULATION and SOCIETY
Population and Climate Change
World Population
Processes of International Negotiation
Risk and Vulnerability
SPECIAL PROJECTS
Health and Global Change
Integrated Modeling Environment
Greenhouse Gas InitiativeYoung Scientists Summer
Program (YSSP)¾ Advanced students¾ June – August¾ Work with IIASA

programs¾ Funded by NMO &other sources¾ Publication¾ Peccei and Mikhalevich awards

Our policy relevant research
results¾ Biology: Changing traits of fish
¾ Air pollution: Cheap abatement options whencombined with climate change¾ Agriculture: Effects of climate change¾ Population: Decline in Europe¾ Technology: Web is dominated by the West
¾ Forests: The missing sink
¾ Disaster management: Cost sharing¾ Climate change: New scenarios

Scientific Personnel
2003

2004

2005

2006

Headcount120

153

184

184

Personyears

65

73

85

91

Average 6.5stay(mth)

5.7

5.5

5.9

Collaboration at IIASA
Programs organized by topic, not bydiscipline
40% social science, 41% naturalscience, 19% mathematicians
Many collaborations via joint modelingprojects
Greenhouse Gas Initiative: crosscutting
through IIASA

Why aiming for interdisciplinarity?

The world has problems, the university has
departments
Challenge: how to translate ‘real world’
problems into scientifically accessible (as well
as scientifically attractive) problems.
Moreover, the tractability of problems differsfrom field to field

The whole is more than the sum of its
parts
Challenge: how to arrive at a timely synthesisof different specialized bodies of knowledge

Knowledge, skills, methods and instrumentation
often cut across disciplinary boundaries –therefore, much is to be gained by theircomplementarity
Challenge: to know in advance which kind ofknowledge, skills, methods andinstrumentation is needed and useful to betransferred from one field to another.
Each transfer has its costs that must be
outweighed by the benefits

Serendipity and new discoveries often
occur at the borders of establishedresearch fields and/or disciplines. Therefore,
openness towards interdisciplinarity willlead to their increase
Challenge: yes, but only if we know inadvance where it will happen…

Industrial research exemplifies that it ispossible to work in an interdisciplinary way
with good results
Challenge: industry is mainly engaged indevelopment (applying already available
knowledge).
How much industrial organization can beimplanted into a university?

“Data” collection: Modeling, evaluation andresearch council experience
RIM: Economy-Environment Assessment Model; Amsterdam,
1980-1984RAINS: Regional Acidification Information and Simulation model
IIASA, 1984-1987
MNP: Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, RIVM,
1989-1991
COOL: Climate Options for the Long Term, Seven Dutch Institutes,
1996-1999
GEA: Global Environmental Assessment project, Harvard
University,1998
NWO: Chair of Social Science Council, The Hague, 1995-2001
NOP: Chair of National Research Program Climate Change andGlobal Air Pollution, Netherlands, 1992-2001
GGI: Greenhouse Gas Initiative, IIASA, 2003Evaluations of National Research Programs, including US
NAPAP; Finland’s HAPRO, SILMU and FIGARE; IHDP; IMAGEmodelStumbling blocks
Failed collaborations are likely to have:¾ Questions formulated by one side (climate change, NOP; LOICZ,NWO)¾ No shared concepts (sustainability; RAINS-Asia)¾ Problems with semantics (policy relevance; GEA, SILMU)¾ Lack of commitment (social science in NOP)

¾ Misconception of roles and place (soft science; NOP, HAPRO,NAPAP)¾ Difficulty in attracting good scientists (publish or perish; all)

¾ Poor communication and physical separation (RIM -> MNP)Success factorsSuccessful collaborations are likely to have:¾ Shared concepts and language¾ Excellency in own field¾ Joint proposal development¾ Sub-projects to allow individuals to succeed intheir own field¾ Intellectual respectability¾ Long term commitment¾ Good communication and personal contact

Success is more likely …
In newly emerging research fields
When institutional boundaries are blurred
In new and flexible institutions
When people, ideas, instruments are mobile
With good leadership: individuals matter(openness, reciprocating)Can interdisciplinary research beorganized?
Organize separate review of proposals
Avoid interdisciplinary PhD projects
Long term collaboration with training
options and career opportunities
Cross-cutting methods/methodologies,
e.g. game theory in economics, political science andevolutionary biology

Create peer reviewed publication outlets

Be patient: it takes time forinterdisciplinarity to mature.
It is also risky.
Develop confidence into your own
judgment.

Thank you