Interdisciplinary Research in Physiology: Insights into the Physiological Society's (UK) Report on “The Future of Interdisciplinary Research beyond REF 2021”

Abstract

The role of interdisciplinary research (IDR) to address research questions posed by global social, economic, ecological and political changes is widely recognised (e.g. addressing Covid‐19). Physiology is by nature an interdisciplinary science – understanding how fundamental processes work and interact with other systems in the body in good health to then understand how to respond to ill health. In November 2021 the Physiological Society (UK) published a report that has since been presented to the UK Parliament on the specific challenges faced by bioscience researchers (including but not exclusively physiologists) whose work is interdisciplinary. These problems are experienced by both senior researchers and especially early career researchers. There are prominent issues relating to funding, peer review, bibliometrics, risk in career progression, and team research. Particularly with the UK's discipline‐based Research Excellence Framework (REF), there has been a perception that interdisciplinary researchers have been disadvantaged. The author, who was a member of the committee that oversaw the drafting of the report, will provide a personal view of the drives to present the report to Parliament, and its conclusions. The proposals include more research into the nature of interdisciplinary research, more flexibility in the assessment of research, and the use of narrative to contextualise the potential impacts of such research. The report in its entirety can be found here:https://www.physoc.org/policy/research‐landscape‐and‐funding/interdisciplinary‐research/