A Clash of Science Policies

Interdisciplinary collaborations between public universities and commercially driven institutions are on the agenda worldwide. While such collaborations are expected to provide innovative solutions, this article shows that actors from diverse disciplines have difficulties in establishing meaningful shared activities and obtaining the expected results. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Copenhagen, I present a case in which the aim of reaching ‘usable’ knowledge in cross-sectorial interactions conflicts with the strategic work of academic institutions seeking to establish so-called entrepreneurial universities. I suggest that researchers encounter conflicting policies that disrupt interdisciplinary collaboration and strategic objectives. Furthermore, while the collaboration did not converge into innovative solutions, I conclude that it incited a reflexive gaze that opened possibilities for disciplinary self-awareness and consolidation.