Intervening in interventions: Exploring the implications of novel technologies through multidisciplinary lenses.

We present a British Academy funded Knowledge Frontiers project which brought together an interdisciplinary  team of social (Anthropology, Education, Human Geography, Politics) and scientific (Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science) researchers to explore the implications of bioethanol-from-cellulose reactors, a novel technology that may provide an innovative, partial solution to the global need for sustainable fuels. These reactors utilize ‘waste’ biomass, either residue from crops or that which can be grown on ‘marginal lands’, thus producing (second generation) biofuels while avoiding the “food versus fuel” debate. The team analysed assumptions inherent within this approach and considered how to interact with this innovation/implementation process to maximally address broader social and environmental goals. 

As a research community we queried the priorities and criteria used in developing new technological solutions and investigated how decisions were made across a range of stakeholders. We focused specifically on a case study of the first large-scale second generation bio-refinery, located in Brazil. Developing ongoing and consistent relationships between social scientists and natural scientists were key to delivering project aims, including documentation of the processes of learning/interacting that we engaged in as a team and ongoing dialogues across research assumptions and expectations within different disciplines. 

Key components of the interdisciplinary process that appeared to be necessary for success included i) providing sustained and open opportunities for interaction between researchers to develop effective communication across disciplines, ii) explicitly exploring discipline-specific taken-for-granted assumptions and identifying what individuals understand when talking about key terms and processes (in this case these included, for example, ‘sustainable’, ‘development’, ‘methodology’, ‘marginal land’ and ‘research outputs’), iii) creating solidarity within the research community, which is critical for effective interaction between disciplines and cultures. This interplay between disciplines provides an innovative way to influence decision-making in science directly, especially at early stages of development. By directly addressing these requirements, multi/transdisciplinary challenges can be addressed in a manner which is more open, more critical and more able to reveal most effective solutions.