Knowledge-sourcing strategies for cross-disciplinarity in bionanotechnology

Abstract

In this exploratory investigation, we conduct five case studies to look into the extent and types of crossdisciplinary practices in a specialty of bionanotechnology. We found that there is a consistently high degree of cross-disciplinarity in the cognitive aspects of research (i.e. references and instrumentalities), but a more erratic and narrower degree in those dimensions associated with social constructs (i.e. affiliation and researcher’s background). Moreover, we observed that research groups engage in a striking variety of strategies for knowledge-sourcing, including collaboration, but also in-house learning and recruitment. We suggest that a trade-off in research costs between cross-disciplinarity and integration may explain the variety of strategies encountered.