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Short abstract:

This contribution problematizes interdisciplinarity within two European-funded projects. Findings uncover two main issues: the frictions between institutions and project dynamics and how interdisciplinarity is enacted in practice by different actors.

Long abstract:

In the evolving landscape of scientific research and knowledge production, interdisciplinarity is key. It reconfigures relations between technoscience and society, fostering accountability and social innovation (Barry and Born 2013). European-funded projects are an interesting case in point, as EU agencies openly encourage interdisciplinary collaborations though prestigious grants.

This contribution discusses the findings from two European projects funded within the “Collective Awareness Platforms for Sustainability and Social Innovation” scheme. The projects – Pie News/Commonfare and Grassroots Wavelenghts – aimed at confronting societal challenges such as precariousness and media pluralism through the participatory design of digital technologies: a digital platform fostering basic income and community radio stations, respectively. More specifically, we present insights from a qualitative study – comprising semi-structured interviews with work package representatives of the two consortia and the analysis of internal project-related documents – aimed at understanding the nuances of interdisciplinary collaborations. Project consortia were indeed composed of a variety of disciplines and roles: sociologists, designers, computer scientists, NGOs, and local communities.

In doing so, we have reconstructed a twofold dynamic based on the role of funding agencies and schemes in shaping interdisciplinary projects and teams, and how interdisciplinarity is experienced and enacted in practice. Data analysis uncovers two main issues. First, the frictions between institutional frameworks at different levels and their relations with project dynamics. Second, how different actors involved in the project translate interdisciplinarity at the interplay between personal expectations and cultures, ruptures in professional routines, and problems and attempts to continuously mend the project fabric.