Research team diversity impacts scientific output in allergy and immunology programs

Background This study examined the relationship between the disciplinary diversity of research teams and research output (RO) in allergy and immunology programs funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States, Medical Research Council (MRC) in the United Kingdom, and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). Methods Using a dataset containing 1243, 3645, and 1468 articles funded by the NIH, MRC, and JSPS, respectively, we analyzed the correlation between disciplinary diversity and RO in allergy and immunology programs that received grants from 2017 to 2021. Diversity was measured using All Science Journal Classification codes counts, Shannon-Wiener index, and newly developed Omnidisciplinary index (o-index). The impact of diversity on RO was evaluated Normalized Paper Count (reflecting research quantity), Normalized Top 1% Paper Count (reflecting research excellence), and Normalized Top 10% Paper Count (reflecting research substantiality). Results There were no significant differences in diversity between the funding agencies, indicating a marginal relationship between team composition and RO (p = 0.641 for Shannon-Winner index). RO was positively correlated with team diversity in NIH- and MRC-funded programs and positively correlated with the degree of specialization in JSPS-funded programs. Conclusions These results underscore the complexity of the relationship between research team diversity and RO and the influence of contextual factors such as country-specific characteristics and grant program objectives. Specifically, the analysis of JSPS-funded groups suggests that the degree of specialization has a greater impact on RO than disciplinary diversity. This study contributes to ongoing efforts to optimize team composition to improve RO in allergy and immunology programs.