Traditional departmental structures make it difficult for research and education to evolve. The university and the future’s research must be interdisciplinary, according to The Guardian.
While groups and research centers begin to incorporate professionals from diverse fields as a strategy to develop research with greater perspectives, university structures continue to be the logic of closed knowledge.
For Zahir Irani (dean of management and law at the University of Bradford School of Management), “open, flexible boundaries are likely to become increasingly important for academics and students, as emphasis within universities shifts from structure to cooperation. Everyone is set to benefit: researchers will receive wider input, ideas and energy, teaching staff will no longer feel excluded from higher-status activities, and students will gain experience and skills from being part of live projects”.