Increasing the relevance of science for practice and practice for science: Quantitative empirical insights

Abstract

We present results of a survey conducted with researchers and practitioners involved in a Swiss National Research Programme on steering energy consumption. We analyse what motivates practitioners and researchers to engage in a collaborative research project, their perception of the collaboration intensity in different project phases, and the extent to which the research project provided useful results for practitioners. Our analyses demonstrate that the intensity of collaboration is a key driver of successful collaboration as it fosters trust between researchers and practitioners. Thereby, it increases the usefulness of the research project for practitioners and their perceived contribution to the success of the research project. Research programmes should thus (1) foster trust through incentivising collaboration between research and practice; (2) facilitate the development of a shared understanding of researchers’ and practitioners’ respective roles; and (3) support the inclusion of practitioners in the project development phase through financial support during the proposal-writing phase.

Towards circular phosphorus: The need of inter- and transdisciplinary research to close the broken cycle

“…Actually, the limited participation from outside academia at IPW9—as mentioned above—illustrated this deficiency directly. This is unfortunate since Binder et al (Binder et al 2020 ) found that the benefit of scientific results was perceived to be higher the more interactions took place between practice and science. Higher interaction lead to higher trust and the feeling that one can support the results and that their applicability is higher (Binder et al 2020 ).…”

“…This is unfortunate since Binder et al (Binder et al 2020 ) found that the benefit of scientific results was perceived to be higher the more interactions took place between practice and science. Higher interaction lead to higher trust and the feeling that one can support the results and that their applicability is higher (Binder et al 2020 ). Therefore, we summarize a number of recommendations brought forward during the workshop to improve on the science—practice/policy interactions.…”

“…1 ). Furthermore, they could involve stakeholders in (i) jointly defining the research question (Norström et al 2020 ) (ii) providing data and feedback during the research process, and (iii) discuss the relevance and implication of the results (Binder et al 2020 ). By including such inter-and transdisciplinary aspects into education of students, researchers may exert long-lasting effects by providing not only adequate factual knowledge but also by enhancing the skills of the future generation to deal with problems at the science-practice interface.…”

“…Accordingly, research institutions and funding agencies play an essential role in providing opportunities to engage in such projects. On the one hand, money should be allocated for practice partners to contribute to the shaping of the research question and for workshops to give feedback (Binder et al 2020 ). They can also support networking among researchers and practitioners to provide research partners and facilitate the implementation of the results by including the whole value chain (Fritz et al 2019 ).…”