We expect that the next couple of decades will reveal many surprises about ourselves, as the information we gather about our genes is translated into knowledge about our proteins, our cells, our organs and our whole beings. All fields of research will be affected, from the development of simple diagnostic tests for predispositions to complex diseases such as diabetes or cancer to innovative treatments involving organ reconstruction to individualized pharmaceuticals. While the content of research is receiving considerable attention these days, fueled by the excitement about the Human Genome Project, equally dramatic changes are occurring in the way health research is being, and will be, performed. Most of us think of scientists as individuals who wear white lab coats and beaver away in their laboratories, isolated from the rest of the world. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Research is a highly social activity and is becoming even more so.
Research is becoming more collaborative and interdisciplinary. This means that scientists of differing backgrounds and skills need to be able to work effectively with peers with different perspectives and ideas. At a more macro level, health research is moving into areas where groups of scientists need to share complicated and expensive equipment and infrastructure. This places even more emphasis on the ability of scientists to work together to acquire and manage these supports. Since individual scientists alone cannot acquire the infrastructure that they need, they become more dependent on the institution to provide it.