Faculty of Social Studies of University of Ghana on Thursday opened a two-day colloquium to highlight the importance of inter-disciplinary collaboration in research to find lasting solutions to the upsurge in global social problems.
The colloquium which is on the theme; "Inter-Disciplinary Research in Academia" would create a platform for researchers in the various disciplines to interact and share ideas on how best to collaborate to find solutions to their diverse research problems.
Prof Samuel Agyei-Mensah, Dean, Faculty of Social Studies, said the university intended to promote and enhance more collaboration within and
between other universities and institutions.
These include Academy of Arts and Sciences, Linguistics, Geography and Sociology to help tackle the country's developmental needs.
He said the interdisciplinary research had become a major thrust in research and education because it allowed a problem to be studied from different angles and had a strong capacity to embrace diversity.
Prof Agyei-Mensah noted that as the problems became increasingly complex and intertwined the need to cooperate across the borders of disciplines became essential.
"The phenomena under examination might interact with each other in complex, wide ranging ways making it impossible for scholars from any field to have the knowledge necessary to pursue the full range of those interactions," he said.
Prof Agyei-Mensah stated that various researchers had already revealed that causes of societal problems were becoming more complex and
inter-related, therefore individual approaches towards finding solutions to such complex social challenges and problem might rather compound other related problems rather then providing lasting solutions.
He cited benefits of interdisciplinary research as strengthened ties between scholars from other fields, more effective communication of research results to stakeholders, strengthened competencies and skills of researchers as well as enhanced individual perceptions about issues.
Prof. Agyei-Mensah however, stressed that successful interdisciplinary collaborations would require the removal of both practical and institutional barriers such as academic traditions and consensus on research problems.
He said the recognition of interpersonal dynamics was critical in their interdisciplinary research to ensure mutual respect among the various disciplines, adding that potential rewards be shared among all collaborating scientists.
Prof Agyei-Mensah recommended other critical items such as shared agenda and activity in data collection and bridging of language differences.
Prof Arthur Commey Sackeyfio, Dean of School of Pharmacy, reiterated that interdisciplinary collaborations were the best if Ghana was to make
headway in research.