Ideas Lab as funding instrument: navigating tensions in establishing transdisciplinary research projects

Traditional funding models allow for little external collaboration and exploration. To overcome ‘siloing’ of disciplines and enable more risky research, the Ideas Lab method was developed to enable new multidisciplinary ways of working. In this study, we explore the Ideas Lab as a cooperative funding instrument enabling transdisciplinary collaboration. We interviewed eight researchers participating in the Austrian Ideas Lab in 2017 after a 4-year project implementation and analysed their applications prior to the 5-day workshop. Researchers dealt with high pressure and stress and applied coping mechanisms to manage social dynamics. They changed their ways of working, dipping into new research areas, gaining new skills, and applying new engagement strategies with stakeholders as early as possible in the process. Openness and flexibility were essential to adjust to inputs from stakeholders. We conclude that the characteristics of the Ideas Lab as a funding instrument are well suited to the establishment and implementation of transdisciplinary research projects.