Case study review of English interdisciplinary research in Higher Education

This document invites tenders to undertake an examination of examples of success in interdisciplinary research infrastructure, development and support. The study will consider examples of new and established institutional investments in IDR and seek to understand where activities have been effective and consider where work did not have the intended effect and lessons learned from less successful initiatives. The sample of higher education institutions must aim as far as possible to represent diversity in model and application with some variety in institution type. The primary output will be a written report consisting of 10 in depth case studies alongside a summary of lessons learned.

For the purpose of this tender documentation IDR will be used to refer to all types of research involving more than one discipline (‘multidisciplinary’, ‘interdisciplinary,’ ‘cross-disciplinary’ and ‘transdisciplinary’ research) Please refer to a Review of the UK’s Interdisciplinary Research . The purpose of this research is to address the following key questions

• What are the new and innovative approaches to supporting IDR?
• What approaches to IDR have been effective over the medium to long term and show evidence of culture change and growth?
• Are there any approaches to the support of IDR which are consistently ineffective?

It is expected that the work will consider activity taking place in the last 1-3 years as new and activity greater than three years but with a definable legacy as the medium to long term. The external contractor will be expected to deliver the following mandatory key deliverables:

• Statement of work at commencement of the project outlining the work activities they will undertake, deliverables and timetable. This will be discussed and refined at the inception meeting
• Project plan and risk assessment
• Interview question scripts
• Interim draft case studies
• Full draft report
• A final report
• Weekly progress reports which may include outcomes of early analysis
• The contractor will be expected to be in regular communication with the HEFCE Project Manager to ensure that contractual obligations are being fulfilled and that the project is progressing as expected in terms of scope and time and to ensure that any potential issues or risks are identified, monitored and managed appropriately.