Strategic Integration: The Practical Politics of Integrated Research in Context

Journal of research practice

Lorrae van Kerkhoff¹ 

[1] National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, The Australian National University

关键词: integrated research;    practical politics;    categories;    research programs;    cooperative research;   

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Journal of research practice

【 摘 要 】

Designing an integrative research program requires that research leaders negotiate a balance between the scientific interest of research and the practical interests of non-scientific partners. This paper examines the ways integrated research is formally categorised, and analyses the tangible expressions of the practical politics involved in reconciling scientific and practical interests. Drawing on a comparative study of two Australian Cooperative Research Centres, I argue that categories used by the research leaders to describe the research programs embody three different strategies for structuring the relationships between researchers and their partners. These include matching research program categories to partners' implementation program categories, reproducing existing integrative partnership models, and filling gaps in understanding with new technical approaches. These strategies offer different advantages and disadvantages. The cases suggest that the integrative approach favoured by each Centre depended on issues such as the geographic scope of policy arenas, sources of scientific credibility, and the political risks facing partners. The practical politics of research organisation offers a new lens for understanding both the practice and theory of integrated research.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC-ND