The evolution of interdisciplinarity over 20 years of global change research by the IAI

The report analyzes how the IAI transitioned its funding programs from a natural-science focus to a more interdisciplinary approach. It finds that simply changing funding requirements is insufficient; instead, a 'bundled' approach—including experiential learning, networking, mentorship, and connecting research to tangible problems—is necessary to overcome academic incentives that favor disciplinary work. The study highlights a significant increase in social science integration and South-South collaboration across its Collaborative Research Networks (CRN) and Small Grants Program on the Human Dimensions (SGP-HD).

• The integration of social sciences into project conceptualization and methodologies has increased significantly across IAI programs. Social science participation in conceptual stages rose from 33% under CRN 1 to 63% under CRN 2, and reached 87% under CRN 3. Similarly, the use of qualitative methods increased from 50% in CRN 1 to 91% in CRN 3.
• Despite the growth of interdisciplinarity, IAI programs remain dominated by natural scientists, specifically ecologists, who are the most frequent disciplinary background identified in proposals for CRN 2 and 3.
• South-South research collaboration has expanded, with the proportion of such collaborations increasing from 52% in CRN 2 to 68% under CRN 3, suggesting growing capacity for interdisciplinary research in the Global South.
• Achieving true interdisciplinarity requires more than modifying the conditions of funding calls; it requires a strategic process to motivate researchers to overcome academic incentive structures that prioritize individual, discipline-based work.
• The IAI identified five key strategies to motivate researchers toward interdisciplinarity: providing space for experiential learning, facilitating networking and teamwork, exposing researchers to new tools or concepts, maintaining persistent mentorship, and connecting research to tangible problems.
• The use of 'boundary concepts'—specifically 'ecosystem services' and 'social-ecological systems'—has proven valuable for cross-disciplinary integration, although these concepts require significant time to operationalize.
• Researchers identified the most significant benefits of interdisciplinary research as improved applicability to policy, social relevance, and community reception, while the primary challenges included integrating results across natural and social sciences and finding compatible methods.

APA

Pittman, J., Tiessen, H., & Montaña, E. (2015). The evolution of interdisciplinarity over 20 years of global change research by the IAI. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/A-2_IAI_interdisciplinarity_paper1-lowres-Final-Report.pdf

Chicago

Pittman, Jeremy, Holm Tiessen, and Elma Montaña. The evolution of interdisciplinarity over 20 years of global change research by the IAI. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, 2015. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/A-2_IAI_interdisciplinarity_paper1-lowres-Final-Report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Pittman |first1=Jeremy |last2=Tiessen |first2=Holm |last3=Montaña |first3=Elma |title=The evolution of interdisciplinarity over 20 years of global change research by the IAI |publisher=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |date=16 March 2015 |url=https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/A-2_IAI_interdisciplinarity_paper1-lowres-Final-Report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{pittman2015evolution, author = {Pittman, Jeremy and Tiessen, Holm and Montaña, Elma}, title = {{The evolution of interdisciplinarity over 20 years of global change research by the IAI}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2015}, month = mar, url = {https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/A-2_IAI_interdisciplinarity_paper1-lowres-Final-Report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }