SHAPE AND PIREAU: Interdisciplinary knowledge with an added bonus

The two centres were launched with DKK 10 million each from Aarhus University's strategic funds, along with expectations from the rector and the board to demonstrate interdisciplinary research collaboration.

Three years later, the heads of the two research centres, Peter Lauritsen, professor of information studies at Arts (SHAPE) and professor at the Department of Political Science, Carsten Jensen (PIREAU), can now reflect on their progress.

Unexpected synergy

A few key figures: SHAPE has more than 30 research projects focused on digitalisation, democracy and citizenship. At PIREAU, inequality is the main theme, and more than 70 researchers are affiliated with 31 research projects. Both centres have also been involved in a number of events, public appearances and contributions to conferences.

Then there are the intangible yet significant aspects: the established relationships between researchers at the two centres and their collaborations. And an unexpected added bonus: cross-centre collaboration.

Peter Lauritsen: 

"It started as two separate initiatives, but along the way there were points of contact and common interests that grew organically," he explains and elaborates:

"The two centres were not intended to have anything to do with each other. But it turned out that the researchers affiliated with the centres could be useful for each other’s projects,” says Peter Lauritsen, who points out that the physical setting and focus on the academic community at AIAS played a crucial role in making the collaboration between the centres a reality.

"Both centres are based at AIAS, where there is a strong focus on joint activities for AIAS fellows. When you sit down at lunch and listen to a presentation on a quantitative analysis that requires all your mental energy to understand, it might turn out to be relevant to your research. And if you’re all having lunch together anyway, it’s easier to reach out to the presenter,” says Peter Lauritsen.

Carsten Jensen emphasises that common interests in themes such as vulnerability and digital access made the collaboration between research on active citizenship and inequality seem obvious.

"A good example is the issue of digital exclusion. If you don't have access to digital resources, it becomes difficult to participate in democracy – it concerns both citizenship and inequality," says Carsten Jensen.

Financial support comes with obligations

Peter Lauritsen emphasises that interdisciplinarity is not something you can organise.

"We tend to think that interdisciplinarity will emerge as long as we include people from different faculties. But that’s a very organisational way of thinking about it and, in practice, it takes more than that to work. I think we’ve been successful in making it a success.

Carsten Jensen:

"Our task has been to create spaces for people to meet – and that's actually a difficult task. We’ve really benefited from the tools we’ve had at our disposal. It’s been a privilege to be able to support a workshop or a project to get things started. It has fuelled the desire for more interdisciplinarity," says Carsten Jensen.

The money also comes with obligations, he emphasises. 

“If you’ve received DKK 30,000 for a project, it’s important to let others know how it helped you. In return, you'll be met with challenging and intelligent questions when you present your project. They may not give you the solutions to your research, but they can highlight issues and give you new perspectives. That's what researchers do. It’s not just about satisfying our curiosity – it’s about something more,” says Carsten Jensen.

Smart in more ways than one

The two professors agree that financial support is important – but leadership and the right framework play an equally crucial role.

“We have excellent departments and schools at Aarhus University, so it’s understandable that researchers tend to lean towards their own field of study. That’s also why I recognised the need to make a concerted effort to get people interested in other disciplines,” says Carsten Jensen.

Peter Lauritsen adds:

"I've probably been a bit cynical about whether it would be possible to create interdisciplinarity – because research is inherently specialised. You have so much on your own plate that you rarely have time to look at your neighbour’s. On the other hand, I think many researchers would like to think of themselves as intellectuals with an interest in learning more about other fields. In my own experience, it means a lot for my professional identity to not only focus on my own narrow field, but also to get the opportunity to think about it in a larger context. It gives new perspectives on my own work. That’s why interdisciplinarity is important and why we need to create a good framework for promoting it”.

A language for interdisciplinarity

Peter Lauritsen and Carsten Jensen agree that it’s important to introduce the idea of interdisciplinary research to the university in the right way in order for it to work. According to the centre directors, this means from the bottom up.

“Determining the best way to implement it is an art in itself. I don’t think I’ll offend anyone by saying that the initiative would fail immediately if management tried to make interdisciplinary collaboration a requirement. Funding helps us get some of the way, as long as the funds are open, because interdisciplinary research requires flexible funding," says Carsten Jensen.

After three years with SHAPE and PIREAU, Peter Lauritsen and Carsten Jensen are convinced that the mission of creating a fruitful interdisciplinary research environment within the two themes has succeeded.

"There has been more research and visibility – both internally and externally. There are lots of researchers at AU who know a lot about digitisation and digital citizenship, and SHAPE has ensured that these researchers have actually met each other and started collaborating on projects”, says Peter Lauritsen.

Carsten Jensen believes that the majority of the research projects on inequality would never have been funded if not for PIREAU.

“We know it’s difficult to get funding for interdisciplinary projects, especially when the research field is already under financial pressure. After three years, in addition to the specific projects we’ve created, we’ve also developed a common language for what it means to conduct interdisciplinary work in research. And that will be very useful for us in future applications,” says Carsten Jensen.

Contact:

Professor Peter Lauritsen
peter@cc.au.dk
24 48 38 97

Professor Carsten Jensen
carstenj@ps.au.dk
87 16 56 78