Does Interdisciplinarity in Research Really Generate Societal Impact?
Conferenze
Seminar in presence
Abhijit Sengupta
University of Surrey, UK
The project addresses the long-standing and critical question of whether the widespread promotion of interdisciplinary research (IDR) in universities genuinely translates into tangible societal impact, specifically through enhanced engagement with industry and society. Results from a large-scale longitudinal analysis of British universities reveal that a university’s success in generating societal impact depends not simply on the presence of interdisciplinary projects alone, but is critically determined by how widely and evenly this interdisciplinarity is distributed across its entire research portfolio and knowledge domains. The impact it generates varies quite significantly on the engagement pathways undertaken, with both commercialization (through patenting and spinouts) and regional development being largely being unaffected. However, industry contracted research, consultancies and large collaborative projects involving do get affected by the degree of interdisciplinarity, at least at the organizational level. Ongoing research continues to examine whether interdisciplinarity as a paradigm is a critical mediator between the nature of research collaborations and its eventual societal impact.
Dr Abhijit Sengupta is an Associate Professor (Reader) in Business Analytics at Surrey Business School, University of Surrey in the United Kingdom. Abhijit’s research interests are in the areas of innovation and technology management, science of science, and in complex systems and networks. His research examines the interplay between research and research impact, with focus on the higher education sector. His current work revolves on the issues of complex dynamics within collaborative research networks, and their impact on science and society. He specializes in the use of advanced quantitative methods, including econometrics, machine learning and agent based simulations, and has experience of research in both academic and industrial settings. He has published in leading journals such as Research Policy, British Journal of Management, Journal of World Business, Journal of Business Research, Technovation, Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, among others. His projects have been funded by the ESRC, British Academy and the Society for Research in Higher Education. He holds a Visiting position at the InnoLab in University of Vaasa (Finland) and is a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Innovation Management Research (CIMR), Birkbeck, London.
Data
Dal al12:15 - 13:45
Organizzatore
Politecnico di MilanoEventi
10 →
settembre
12
dicembre 2025
LABORATORI POLITECNICI dipartimenti | territorio | didattica | tecnologia
14
ottobre 2025
GenAI & Platform Thinking Come la GenAI sta trasformando il Platform Thinking tra internal platform, business transformation e pensiero critico
14
ottobre 2025
Osservatorio Innovazione per la Biodiversità – Terzo Biodiversity Making Meeting
15
ottobre 2025
Youth at the Forefront. Advancing Technology for Sustainable Agrifood Systems
21
ottobre 2025
Critical digital infrastructure: an analytical perspective of the present and the future of Europe
23
ottobre 2025
Renovate | Battery Recycling in Lombardy: It Matters More Than You Think
28
ottobre 2025
Lo Smart Working ai tempi dell’AI: opportunità e sfide verso il lavoro del futuro
29
ottobre 2025
Does Interdisciplinarity in Research Really Generate Societal Impact?
06
novembre 2025
Convegno dei risultati di Ricerca dell’Osservatorio 5G & Connected Digital Industry
11
novembre 2025
Convegno dei risultati di Ricerca dell’Osservatorio Digital Identity
18
novembre 2025
Convegno dei risultati di Ricerca dell’Osservatorio Software & Digital Native Innovation
25
novembre 2025
Convegno dei risultati di Ricerca dell’Osservatorio Quantum Computing & Communication
02
dicembre 2025
Convegno dei risultati di Ricerca dell’Osservatorio Startup Thinking, Startup & Scaleup Hi-tech e Digital Transformation Academy
02 →
dicembre
03
dicembre 2025
Per il grande pubblico. L’architettura tra dibattito, divulgazione e strategie narrative
04
dicembre 2025
Convegno dei risultati di Ricerca dell’Osservatorio Omnichannel Customer Experience
10
dicembre 2025
Digital readiness and skills: a portrait of Europe’s large and super-large enterprises
11
dicembre 2025
Convegno dei risultati di Ricerca dell’Osservatorio Fintech & Insurtech
11
dicembre 2025