Digital mediations of interdisciplinarity: A study of interdisciplinary centers in Europe

Abstract Interdisciplinarity is widely promoted as a catalyst for innovation and societal problem solving, yet the organizational arrangements that give it form remain insufficiently examined. Adopting a Communicative Constitution of Organizations (CCO) perspective, this article investigates how interdisciplinarity is enacted through the publicly available web communication of 34 interdisciplinary research centers in Europe. These centers – mostly created after 2000 and affiliated with universities or public research bodies – mobilize their websites as key sites where missions, identities, and stakeholder relations are articulated. Our analysis reveals both diversity and recurring patterns in naming practices, thematic orientations, and the types of actors involved. While most centers foreground research and teaching activities, only a minority explicitly problematize or define interdisciplinarity. The websites display different modes of organizing, positioning centers along a continuum that ranges from autonomous entities (projecting self-sufficiency and outward engagement) to facilitating hubs (emphasizing resource provision and internal coordination). By examining degrees of openness and mission orientations (“operating” vs. “supporting”), we identify four communicative configurations through which centers constitute themselves and their roles. Beyond mapping website content, this study contributes to broader debates on the governance of science, the communicative construction of research organizations, and the evolving relations between scientific institutions and society.