The creation and the application of knowledge require interactive study of multiple disciplines and professions for the efficiency and quality of working. The term interdisciplinarity brings a new perspective to the professions and technologies with an understanding of the necessity of working of crossing disciplines on a common issue. Leyla Arsan, TAGES CEO, talked in the Project and Research Summit’08 grounded on ‘Interdisciplinarity’, organized by Boğaziçi University Project and Research Club (PARK) on the 9-10th May, 2008.
Project and Research Summit’08 brought together the business sector and academy to discuss on the concept of interdisciplinarity and interdisciplinary studies of their work to offer a new perspective to the university students with an interdisciplinary thinking system. The two-day summit started with the keynote speeches of Prof. Dr. Gülen Aktaş, Vice Rector of Boğaziçi University,
Prof. Dr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Top Advisor of Turkish Prime Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Prof. Dr. Norman P. Neuriter, President of Center of Science, Technology and Security Policy of the American Association for Advancement of Science. The summit hosted distinguished speakers with presentations on the interdisciplinarity concepts, interdisciplinary study at project management and humanities, interdisciplinary teaching and learning, interdisciplinary collaboration networks and innovation and interdisciplinarity.
Leyla Arsan, TAGES CEO made a presentation on interdisciplinary applications at university-industry cooperation. Leyla Arsan emphasized the transition from close innovation approach where the research is conducted, developed and applied by one discipline in an institution’s close environment to open innovation approach where various disciplines collaborate on a common goal in an interdisciplinary and inter-institutional environment. She also pointed out the increasing role of open communities and living labs in R&D where the customers, companies, public sector, individuals and academia are involved in the R&D development and application processes. Leyla Arsan gave examples of interdisciplinary applications of university-industry in R&D projects developed by different institutions such as universities, research centers, industries, public sector and NGOs with different disciplines from different countries.
As the world is getting closer, collaboration and interdisciplinarity become the main themes both in academy and industry. The Project and Research Summit’08 had been successful in creating awareness of the interdisciplinary study and thinking system on the participants.