Science in Dialogue

How can cross-disciplinarity contribute to solving grand challenges?
This was explored by the VELUX and VILLUM foundations and their grant holders at ESOF14.
Among them was head of Center for Synbio Birger Lindberg Møller.

Their Annual Review 2014 picks up on the essential points of the debate, including:

- Complex societal challenges can not be solved on the basis of individual disciplines
   since global issues are so interconnected.

- The broader overview offered by interdisciplinary research is the only way to avoid 
   creating further problems.

- The effects of population trends such as aging populations require both natural and
   social science research due to their societal and pharmeceutical implications.

- Interdisciplinary projects attract young researchers with an interest in 
   entrepreneurship