Collaborative forms of interdisciplinary research are a consolidated practice in planning disciplines (architecture, engineering, design), although substantially lacking a formalized theoretical foundation: in fact they often take place in an ad hoc manner. The main questions that guide the contents of the proposed course can be summarized as follows: how is the idea of ​​collaborative research in technical and planning disciplines spontaneously understood?  Why is the transfer of knowledge from one field to another acquiring a central place in contemporary research?  Where and when the idea of ​​collaborative research is generated? How is the idea of ​​knowledge collaboration best expressed as a research paradigm?

To articulate the development of these contents, five long form classes are designed and condensed in a week, with the aim of bringing out exemplary case studies drawn from varied collaborative research experiences, mainly investing the areas of planning disciplines. The proposed lectures also aim at arguing the idea of ​​collaboration both as a category of thinking and as a consolidated research practice as collaborative research is everywhere: in the world of technology, in scientific networks, in product and system development.

The basic contents for the sequence of lectures envisaged by this course include:

• the conceptual frameworks to explain and feed collaborative research and border crossing processes in planning disciplines;
• aspects relating to the production of knowledge derived from collaborative research;
• the values, advantages and limits of collaborative processes;
• consolidated collaboration models, such as cooperation, knowledge transfer and knowledge integration, cross fertilization, border crossing, vision sharing, research interplay;
• the exemplification of partnership cases, contexts, potentials.

This intensive Monday-to-Friday course is based on a sequence of five long form classes, each of half-a-day duration, to be held in the afternoon, designed to:

• explore definitions and forms of collaborative research,
• reflect on the opportunities of research collaboration,
• exemplify suggestive cases of partneship and collaborative research,
• describe the advantages and the criticalities of integrative collaborations from different disciplines,
• identify the variables that can characterize the routine of collaborative research.

The course programme also offers an examination of the gap that is emerging between disciplinary specializations and research strategies oriented to multidisciplinarity, crossdisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity.

Each long form class is designed to offer introduction of the day, guidelines for the class, lecture (to be held by internal lecturer or testimonial guests when scheduled), presentation of case studies, panel discussion with participants.

PhD students should attend at least 4 classes out of 5 and write a short report to be sent to the coordinator of the course. The report should consist in the synopsis of a collaborative research template/proposal/project simulation. 

Course requisites:

• Active participation during classes
• Final delivery of a collaborative research template/proposal/project simulation (by scheduled deadline)