WASHINGTON, May 18 (UPI) — It’s not perfect, but it’s the most promising approach. That is what scientists at the National Research Council (NRC) say. They’re talking about what’s been termed “team science.”
Team science is scientific research executed by teams of experts. More and more, leadership responsibilities are shared among teams of scientists working towards a common goal — an answer to a question or the understanding of a problem.
But according to researchers — who in a new report detail the promises and challenges of team science — policy and funding strategies at major universities and institutions are still structured around the increasingly nonexistent idea of the independent investigator.
The new report was authored by members of NRC’s Committee on the Science of Team Science, including Michigan State University researcher and psychologist, Steve Kozlowski.
Kozlowski has many years of experience looking at the role of cooperation and teamwork in scientific research and exploration. In a new book-length report, he and his colleagues argues that, today, the most innovative and impactful scientific discoveries come about as a result of team science — not as the result of singular genius.
But team science isn’t easy. Kozlowski says assembling the right combination of scientists is challenging, as is balancing leadership roles.
“Universities need to better support and recognize team science and funding agencies need to support research to improve the effectiveness of team science,” Kozlowski said in a press release. “Social scientists like me who study teams and team-science practitioners, and scientists working in teams need to collaborate on research efforts to produce knowledge that can be applied to enhance the effectiveness of team science.”
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