Advancing research strategy, culture and practice
The THE Interdisciplinary Science Forum 2026 brings together university leaders, researchers, funders and policymakers to explore how interdisciplinarity can be embedded across institutions, governance models and global research ecosystems.
Taking place in Washington, DC, this high-level forum will examine how research environments are evolving in response to increasing complexity – and what this means for institutional strategy, collaboration and impact.
From reward and recognition frameworks to international partnerships and AI-informed strategy, discussions will focus on how leaders can operationalise interdisciplinarity to drive innovation and societal value.
The THE Interdisciplinary Science Rankings are the first such effort to measure universities’ contributions and commitment to interdisciplinary science. The event will feature an in-depth masterclass from THE’s data team featuring detailed analysis and insight into the key findings, trends and stories from the data.
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Here’s what our agenda will focus on
Navigating complexity in interdisciplinary research systems
Exploring how institutions and funders are responding to growing complexity in research environments, and what this means for the design, leadership and support of interdisciplinary work.
Building interdisciplinary collaboration across borders and contexts
Learning how international collaboration can be enabled in practice, and how institutions and funders are adapting to support interdisciplinary research across organisational and national boundaries.
Creating environments where interdisciplinary research is valued and sustained
Examining how reward, recognition and career structures are evolving to better reflect interdisciplinary contributions and sustain interdisciplinary research cultures.
Strategic leadership and institutional transformation in the age of AI
Considering how emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, are shaping institutional strategy and opening new possibilities for interdisciplinary collaboration and planning.
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The forum was a great opportunity to exchange ideas with academic leaders from a wide variety of countries and institutions. The science and innovation of the present and of the future will increasingly rely on the ability of researchers to collaborate with experts from fields far from their own. Expertise and deep disciplinary knowledge will continue to be key, but they will have to be combined with complementary expertise from other fields. Besides, the ability to exchange ideas in a cross-disciplinary setting also helps to better shape communication with the broader society, the public that funds most scientific endeavours. – Paulo Nussenzveig, Professor of Physics, University of São Paulo |
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Meet our host partner
We invite you to join Schmidt Science Fellows, Times Higher Education, our partners and other influential figures in the scientific community to share ideas and shape the future of interdisciplinary science. I look forward to welcoming you to Washington, DC this November.
– Megan Kenna, Executive Director, Schmidt Science Fellows
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