Developing ‘integrated knowledge’ is - either implicitly or even explicitly (as referred to in the MFFD program title) – one of the final goals for several current major Dutch national scientific research programs into flood risk reduction and water management. The complex and intricate technological, environmental and societal questions involved in this context demand input from various disciplinary fields; e.g. technology, spatial design, governance, ecology and environmental science. Thus research-funding agencies require inter-, multi- and trans-disciplinary knowledge; often referred to as ‘integrated knowledge’. Yet, in the actual research practice it seems not clear what this exactly comprehends nor how to achieve it.
In this research we put forward the hypothesis that the specific design of the research program is of effect on the output in terms of integrated knowledge and utilisation of such knowledge. Researching the processes of proposal design and program output, we develop best practices and learn which are obstructions for knowledge integration. The research results feed back for more effective design, implementation, and performance of research programs that aim to integrate scientific knowledge into flood risk reduction and water management.
In this research we put forward the hypothesis that the specific design of the research program is of effect on the output in terms of integrated knowledge and utilisation of such knowledge. Researching the processes of proposal design and program output, we develop best practices and learn which are obstructions for knowledge integration. The research results feed back for more effective design, implementation, and performance of research programs that aim to integrate scientific knowledge into flood risk reduction and water management.
