"Most research grants in Ireland involve being in big interdisciplinary clusters," says Rudd. "It forces you to relate your expertise to a completely different field".
Six interdisciplinary research clusters enable scholars to exchange ideas and explore research areas and to work with industry, other research organizations, and the community.
Based in the University of Brighton, which unusually benefits from both a Medical School (run jointly by the Universities of Sussex and Brighton) and a Faculty of Arts, it emerged from a cluster of interdisciplinary arts/medicine learning, teaching and research developments and deploys the human body as a thematic focus for the interdisciplinary student group.
Its research includes a cluster of related interdisciplinary projects that examine disparities in breast cancer mortality between African-American and Caucasian women using animal models, molecular characterization of tumors, and behavioral research focused on social-environmental factors.
There are deliberately designed interdisciplinary spaces throughout the building, including clusters dedicated to neuroscience, biomolecular science, and the environmental sciences, but one can also find disciplinary "homes" in the building.
Similarly, studies of interdisciplinary research collaborations in university settings show clustering within research groups and disciplines.
Using factor analyses and cluster analysis, seven meaningful factors (physician leadership, interdisciplinary reflection, not avoiding EOL decisions, mutual respect within the interdisciplinary team, involvement of nurses in EOL, active DM by physicians, and ethical awareness) yielded 4 climates: good, average with and average without involvement of nurses at EOL, and fourth a poor EOL-DM climate.
Through a large interdisciplinary approach the "Tailor Made Fuels from Biomass" (TMFB) cluster of excellence has been pursuing the identification of next generation biofuels.
The frame for reference has been used to capture current discourse on the sustainability of the built environment and has proved to be a valuable tool to cluster existing initiatives and highlight missing links for interdisciplinary endeavours.
Holy Cross' Montserrat Program places freshman into clusters like The Divine or The Natural World, connecting classroom experiences with interdisciplinary seminars.
