The Value of Multidisciplinarity in University Research Collaborations 

There is a growing awareness of the need for multidisciplinary research for solving complex problems. Multidisciplinary research is considered more impactful, and more likely to lead to novel findings than single discipline research. Several trends should encourage individual scientists and teams to engage in multidisciplinary research: the value and benefits of multidisciplinarity are well documented, policymakers and funding bodies provide numerous incentives for multidisciplinary research and, at least in theory, easier access to information should make it easier to engage in multidisciplinary research. But the practice of multidisciplinarity remains fraught with challenges. After looking into definitions related to multidisciplinarity, this review will consider the benefits and challenges of multidisciplinary research, some proposed solutions to address the latter, and some open research questions.  

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