Hohl Sarah D, Knerr Sarah, Thompson Beti
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Public Health Sciences Division, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
Department of Health Services, School of Public Health, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific Ave, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Res Eval. 2019 Jul;28(3):279-289. doi: 10.1093/reseval/rvz012. Epub 2019 Jun 14.
Funding bodies in the USA and abroad are increasingly investing in transdisciplinary research, i.e. research conducted by investigators from different disciplines who work to create novel theoretical, methodological, and translational innovations to address a common problem. Transdisciplinary research presents additional logistical and administrative burdens, yet few models of successful coordination have been proposed or substantiated, nor have performance outcomes or indicators been established for transdisciplinary coordination. This work uses the NIH-funded Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer (TREC) Centers Initiative as a case study to put forward a working framework of transdisciplinary research coordination center (CC) responsibilities and performance indicators. We developed the framework using a sequential mixed methods study design. TREC CC functions and performance indicators were identified through key-informant interviews with CC personnel and then refined through a survey of TREC research center and funding agency investigators and staff. The framework included 23 TREC CC responsibilities that comprised five functional areas: leadership and administration, data and bioinformatics, developmental projects, education and training, and integration and self-evaluation, 10 performance outcomes and 26 corresponding performance indicators for transdisciplinary CCs. Findings revealed high levels of agreement about CC responsibilities and performance metrics across CC members and constituents. The success of multi-site, transdisciplinary research depends on effective research coordination. The functions identified in this study help clarify essential responsibilities of transdisciplinary research CCs and indicators of success of those transdisciplinary CCs. Our framework adds new dimensions to the notion of identifying and assessing CC activities that may foster transdisciplinarity.
美国国内外的资助机构越来越多地投资于跨学科研究，即由来自不同学科的研究人员开展的研究，这些研究人员致力于创造新的理论、方法和转化创新，以解决一个共同的问题。跨学科研究带来了额外的后勤和管理负担，但很少有成功的协调模式被提出或得到证实，也没有为跨学科协调确立绩效成果或指标。这项工作以美国国立卫生研究院资助的能量与癌症跨学科研究（TREC）中心计划为例，提出了一个跨学科研究协调中心（CC）职责和绩效指标的工作框架。我们采用序贯混合方法研究设计来制定该框架。通过对CC人员进行关键信息访谈确定了TREC CC的职能和绩效指标，然后通过对TREC研究中心以及资助机构的研究人员和工作人员进行调查加以完善。该框架包括23项TREC CC职责，涵盖五个功能领域：领导与管理、数据与生物信息学、发展项目、教育与培训以及整合与自我评估，10项绩效成果以及针对跨学科CC的26项相应绩效指标。研究结果显示，CC成员和相关人员对CC职责和绩效指标的认可度很高。多地点跨学科研究的成功取决于有效的研究协调。本研究确定的职能有助于厘清跨学科研究CC的基本职责以及这些跨学科CC的成功指标。我们的框架为识别和评估可能促进跨学科性的CC活动这一概念增添了新的维度。
