Lessons from research and innovation: working across different sectors, disciplines and cultures 

International, collaborative and interdisciplinary research can generate impact that is far greater than the sum of the parts. However, it isn’t without challenges and requires team members to have a different set of skills. This guide reflects on some of the lessons that the Frontiers programme participants have learned over the course of working across sectors, disciplines and cultures

Case study

Kristine Magtubo, Ignite Impact Fund 

Working collaboratively depends on good communication. Kristine used her experiences to emphasise the importance of mutual understanding and language in cross-sector projects. Kristine considers herself a multi-hyphenate, meaning that she fills a wide range of diverse roles such as physician, researcher, innovator, mentor, consultant, and more. This allows her to understand different perspectives.

 

In her experience, everyone brings their own ideas to a collaboration informed by their respective backgrounds. Bringing these diverse viewpoints together to accomplish a mutual goal can be complicated. For instance, engineers may focus on the technicalities and functionalities of a project, while policymakers may be more concerned with regulations. However, Kristine stressed that a ‘mutual language’ – terms all collaborators can understand – can help ensure success. It can also be helpful for teams to identify ‘translators’: people who have experience across a variety of sectors and can communicate different perspectives within the group.

 

Jing Pang, Imperial College London

 

With a background in research and development for technology, Jing Pang has experience supporting research collaboration in different sectors from an academic perspective. To help demonstrate what he believes are key elements to a successful collaboration, he used an example of a competition hosted by the Design Museum in London where students from different backgrounds came together to compete. Students from the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London would present a product idea and then collaborate with other business, engineering and design students to create the product. Critical to the success of the groups, according to Jing, was the use of a neutral party who understands the different perspectives. In this case, this role was filled by representatives of the company Engine. 

Jing closed his presentation with several recommendations. He suggested starting cross-industry collaborations with a blank sheet, figuratively, that allows everyone to present their own ideas on equal standing. While this is a positive starting point, it is also important to continue this mentality throughout the collaboration. Although not everyone involved in the project may have the same background, actively listening to others is critical. They might not speak the same ‘language’, like Kristine mentioned, but creating and working in a collaborative language is helpful. To close, Jing underlined the need to always keep the big picture in mind. 

 

“Being a multi-hyphenate is key to the collaborative work I’ve done and my success in cross-sectoral and multi-sectoral work. Collaboration at the end of the day is all about communication.”
Kristine Magtubo, Ignite Impact Fund

Principles

 

• Stakeholders may have different – and sometimes competing – priorities, such as policy impacts, academic publications or profit. Despite this, they must keep in mind the common mission must be kept in mind and foster an environment where everyone can contribute.Taking the time to understand stakeholders’ different priorities will help to manage expectations and integrate the appropriate outputs into work.
• Finding a common ‘language’ – or terms that every industry can understand and work in – helps make discussions more productive. A ‘translator’ or a person who has experience working across industries can act as a bridge between different languages.
• In cross-sector collaboration, every industry also brings with it important strengths and concerns that can balance weaknesses of their peers. For example, NGOs can help link projects to those ‘on-the-ground,’ while working with the private sector can enable greater access to funding and technology. 
• Embracing diversity can allow for a more impactful, well-rounded project. However, make sure communication and priorities are clear and that there is a culture of respect.
• Engineers can show people that technology opens the doors to new

Challenges	Solutions
Lack of understanding of different cultures, disciplines, races, and genders	Establish strong leadership that can serve as a role model for the rest of the team and create a culture of inclusivity. Maintain regular communication between project collaborators. Provide diversity training.  Emphasise the work of all collaborators over identity in discussions. Work with local communities to understand local inclusion priorities (gender, religion, age, and social status), local NGOs and groups who work with marginalised communities.
Delayed access to information because of political instability	Ensure that extra time is built into the project duration and deadlines.  Ask for deadline extensions as early as possible.
Working in different time zones	Schedule at convenient times for all the project partners.  Respect others’ working hours.
Sustainability can be a social, environmental and economic challenge	Agree on a focus for the project. Adapt plans to fit the national policies of the target region. Keep people at the heart of any solution. Sometimes when researchers from high-income countries are working on a project for sustainability, they do not adapt to local needs or resources.  Work with local researchers. Incorporate experts and researchers from different disciplines such as policymakers and social science experts.  Help colleagues in engineering foster ‘soft skills’ such as communication.
Short-term project focus or budget	Have steps in place to ensure longevity of project to achieve impact.  Build local capacity to sustain a project long term.

Tools and tips

• Take time to recognise and understand the different interests and see how these can be integrated into the project.
• Understanding expectations is core to success, so acknowledge that compromise will be needed.
• Have regular check-ins on project goals to ensure everyone has the same understanding.
• Embrace diversity and different perspectives.
• Learn how to collaborate. There are many different trainings and courses that can help improve this skill.
• Manage expectations among team members, especially for instant, quick solutions.
• Have integrity and be honest when things are not going according to plan.
• Set common objectives.
• Seek out good leadership.

 

 

Resource recommendations from symposia participants

Participants identified several helpful resources:

• How to write a logical framework, Tools 4 Dev.
• Funded programmes and research partnerships such as the Newton Fund and Global Challenges Research Fund, The Turing Scheme, and opportunities offered by the British Council.
• Educational links, such as the UK–India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI). 
• Integrated impact courses.

Scientists call for a moratorium on climate change research until governments take real action, The Conversation