LFF Research Workshop – Interdisciplinarity in Practice

Researchers from LifeFactFuture gathered for two days at the Eerikkilä Sport & Outdoor Resort to work on the project’s scientific contributions and to discuss the life sciences field from a multidisciplinary perspective. Taking a break from the busy academic grind turned out to be just what many needed. Over the course of the days, people not only worked on their publications but also discovered fresh, interdisciplinary perspectives. 

Testing out ideas

The LFF research group brings together people from a wide range of academic backgrounds – industrial engineering, futures studies, computer science and industrial pharmacy – making it a truly multidisciplinary team. That’s a real strength when exploring possible futures of life science production. Throughout the days, PhD researchers and professors from different fields shared their methods, data, and insights with one another. It was a great chance to test ideas, and the discussions that followed were genuinely inspiring. 

New angles

Since change in the life sciences field tends to be slow – partly due to strict regulations and long-established, well-tested technologies – it makes sense to explore its possible futures by combining expertise from areas like industrial pharmacy, information technology, and futures studies. One example of this is, for instance, novel ways to handle fragmented industrial data. 

This kind of cross-disciplinary collaboration is especially valuable. It not only supports high-quality academic research but also helps us imagine how the field could evolve – and how Finland can strengthen its position in international markets. 

Dynamic capabilities

The concept of dynamic capabilities refers to an organisation’s ability to sense, seize, and transform its resources and expertise in response to a changing environment. The contribution of researchers in the LFF project can, at its best, help shape these dynamic capabilities – offering companies in Finland tools to innovate, adapt their practices, and build sustainable competitive advantage. 

Next steps

Although the project’s work packages and research groups were already familiar with each other and have been working toward shared goals in their day-to-day activities, bringing this multidisciplinary team together for an intensive two-day workshop really moved things forward. The in-depth conversations between two or more participants offered a great opportunity to deepen perspectives, ask clarifying questions, and ultimately advance the research. 

After the workshop, it’s also much easier to just pick up the phone or message a colleague when thinking about how to move things forward. Two incredibly useful days!

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In the cover photo from the back row: Maarit Päällysaho, Nia Kurniati Bachtiar, Anne Juppo, Tero Villman, Miia Martinsuo, Toni Ahlqvist, Keijo Koskinen, Tuomas Mäkilä, Yazid Bounab and Tolga Karayel.

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