Two Blind Mice: It Is Time for Greater Collaboration between Engineers and Social Scientists around the RDD & D of Industrial Technologies

Abstract

Within this short communication article, we consider the value that closer and earlier collaboration between engineers and social scientists could offer the research, development, demonstration and deployment (RDD & D) of industrial technologies. We consider perspectives taken from both the social sciences and engineering in order to highlight the prejudices and misunderstandings that currently limit the extent and quality of such collaboration. It is reasoned that the complex engineering challenges of the future demand a move towards greater interdisciplinarity. Current successful approaches towards fostering interdisciplinarity within the Carbon Dioxide Utilisation (CDU) research community are then used to illustrate the benefits of employing a more holistic approach to the design and introduction of new industrial technologies. It is our hope that this article will catalyse similar collaborative research efforts within other sectors.