Improving Outcomes from Interdisciplinary R&D

Advanced research and development in industrial sectors ranging from life sciences to electronics, requires interdisciplinary efforts to pool knowledge in order to extend the technological frontier. This project will inform managerial approaches to heighten the chance of commercial success for interdisciplinary R&D programs. The National Institutes of Health's Nanomedicine Development Centers (NDCs), a research program designed with a ten-year horizon to fund not only basic nanomedicine science but its translation into clinical outcomes provides an opportunity to study the organization and outcomes of science. The clinical applications are expected to improve health outcomes and the efficiency of the U.S. healthcare system. The NDC researchers come from a variety of disciplines, including biology, integrative physiology, computational biology, neurobiology, genetics, chemistry, biomolecular engineering, oncology and ophthalmology, and thus understanding their ability to engage in interdisciplinary integration is paramount to their success. This research will help improve strategies for forming and managing interdisciplinary teams.

This project introduces an analytical approach to examining the antecedents and payoffs to interdisciplinary R&D. This study considers the researchers' prior experience with interdisciplinary research, in conjunction with the variety, distance, and interdependence of the disciplines represented in their respective NDC teams. This research is grounded in the theory of human capital accumulation, defined as the knowledge, experience and skills by individuals. A related management literature has examined how human capital contributes to innovation and firm financial performance. This research extends these literatures by analyzing how interdisciplinary interaction influences human capital accumulation and scientific achievement. Two primary measures of scientific impact are employed by this study: quality-weighted forward citations to the publications resulting from each research program; and the progress made towards commercial application. Survey data provide additional insights into the drivers of success for interdisciplinary teams.