There is increasing support for interdisciplinary whole systems research in the UK energy sector. Combining different research disciplines and working across academic-stakeholder divides promises more rounded, robust and relevant research, and the EPSRC National Centre for Energy Systems Integration (CESI) has a distinctive commitment to such research.

In practice, interdisciplinary whole systems research faces a number of challenges: managing diverse knowledge bases across different disciplines, developing integrative research designs and outputs, and striking an appropriate balance between academic independence and stakeholder collaboration. There are also opportunities for shared learning about the common challenges of whole systems energy research across a number of different initiatives, in the UK and beyond.

Workshop overview

This short workshop was run as part of a CESI Flex Fund project on understanding and promoting good practice in interdisciplinary energy research. It considered the opportunities and challenges involved, and how they are being addressed within CESI and beyond. The issues covered included:

• Is working with other disciplines an important part of your research work and research outputs? If so, in what ways?
• What do you see as the main drivers and barriers for interdisciplinary research (in CESI, and more generally)?
• In which parts of CESI has interdisciplinarity been more or less successful, to date? (e.g. within projects, within workpackages, across the Centre as a whole, in stakeholder engagement activities, etc.).
• Do you have any suggestions for improved ways of interdisciplinary working, in CESI or more generally?

The discussion was facilitated and introduced by Dr Mark Winskel, University of Edinburgh and Dr Matthew Hannon, University of Strathclyde, who shared their insights in interdisciplinary energy systems research.

The views of all CESI investigators and researchers (RAs) fed into the next stages of this research and contributed to the good practice guidelines developed as a key output from the Flex Fund project.

About the Workshop Leaders

Dr Mark Winskel is Chancellor's Research Fellow on Energy Innovation Science, Technology and Innovation Studies at the University of Edinburgh, He was previously national Co-ordinator for the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) and is now Policy Director for ClimateXChange, Scotland’s National Centre of Expertise on Climate Change.

Dr Matthew Hannon is Senior Lecturer at the University of Strathclyde's Business School. He was previously a member of the RCUK Energy Strategy Fellowship team and is now a Co-Investigator with the recently-launched Energy REV consortium.