Do synthesis programs facilitate interdisciplinary research? Evidence from the NSFC’s Major Research Plan

Synthesis programs, designed to address critical scientific challenges through interdisciplinary solutions, have garnered substantial attention from funding agencies. This study quantitatively evaluates the detailed impact of synthesis programs on promoting these interdisciplinary solutions, using data drawn from the Major Research Plan (MRP) instituted by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). We measure and compare the interdisciplinarity in knowledge absorption and integration of articles funded by the MRP with that of articles published in the same journal and year without synthesis intervention, as well as those supported by the NSFC’s General Program. Key dimensions of interdisciplinarity, encompassing variety, balance, and disparity, along with their aggregation, are measured using article references and, more importantly, the main content of these articles. Findings indicate that synthesis programs have fostered interdisciplinary research, but their effects on bolstering knowledge absorption and integration differ. These initiatives motivate researchers to absorb more disparate knowledge from a wider range of disciplines and pave the way for a more balanced integration of dissimilar knowledge. Our findings support the implementation of synthesis programs as a catalyst to accelerate the integration of knowledge across disciplines and domains, and offer insights for funding agencies, expert groups, and researchers engaged in the design, execution, and assessment of such programs. • We examine the detailed impact of synthesis programs on cultivating the interdisciplinarity of scientific solutions. • A dual-approach framework quantifies interdisciplinary knowledge absorption and integration using references and content. • Synthesis programs promote wider absorption and balanced integration of dissimilar knowledge. • Synthesis programs outperform financial incentives alone in fostering the integration of balanced and disparate knowledge. • Synthesis programs foster collaboration, with interdisciplinarity shaped more by institutional breadth than author count.