A Time for Interdisciplinarity - An Essay on the Added Value of Collaboration for Science, University, and Society

The essay, written on the occasion of Tilburg University's Dies Natalis 2018, explores the added value of interdisciplinary collaboration for science, university, and society. It argues that interdisciplinary collaboration is a prerequisite for science to contribute to major problems – wicked problems – and thus generate impact of knowledge. Starting from that premise, the essay looks first at what exactly is interdisciplinarity (how does it distinguish itself from other forms of collaboration that transcend disciplines?) and how it has evolved over time in the practice of science. It subsequently assesses whether there is a case for further strengthening and stimulating interdisciplinarity in research and education at (European) universities, and if so, how this could be organized. It closes with the observation that the design, organization, and outcome of interdisciplinary research and education need time, and hence, formulates a request towards universities to give their researchers and lecturers such "Time for Interdisciplinarity"