1. Interdisciplinary cooperation within the framework of the Northern Dimension Institute: an example from energy sector research Presentation in the seminar ‘Open Your Research – Science Across Boundaries’, 8 June 2011, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland
Pami Aalto
Jean Monnet Professor/
Director, Jean Monnet European Centre of Excellence
School of Management, University of Tampere, Finland

2. Jean Monnet European Centre of Excellence Tampereen yliopisto
Need for interdisciplinary cooperation within the Northern Dimension Institute (NDI)
NDI is (when successful) a network of institutions and researchers in multiple fields from natural science, applied sciences to social sciences and the humanities, with a shared interest in northern European-Russian relations
The shared interest on its own at best facilitates joint research in
Multidisciplinary form (easiest and simplest) vs.
Transdisciplinary form (more demanding and comprises various forms merging, linking, breaking and ’colonizing’ disciplines)
Need for coordinating the various contributions from different fields and disciplines
Division of labour
Optimization of financial, human and time resources
Better research results vs. better research questions and agendas
Yet, interdisciplinarity not inherently good on its own automatically – additional reason of thinking carefully on how to implement such projects in the study of concrete problems (organization of research)
Jean Monnet European Centre of Excellence Tampereen yliopisto

3. Jean Monnet European Centre of Excellence Tampereen yliopisto
The multidisciplinary form of cooperation is a method of combining theories, methods and empirical findings in different fields/disciplines in an ’additive’ form
New multidisciplinary approaches utilizing different combinations of disciplines/literatures to study problems a, b, c, etc.
D1 + D2
D2 + D3
D1 + D2 + Dn, etc.
Legend: D = discipline
Jean Monnet European Centre of Excellence Tampereen yliopisto

4. Jean Monnet European Centre of Excellence Tampereen yliopisto
Multidisciplinary cooperation in the study of EU-Russia energy problems/relations
EU area actors
-EU institutions, EU member states, energy companies, IFIs, IGOs, NGOs
Research geographic dimension
-resources
-extraction
-infrastructure
-transport
Financial dimension
-investment
-prices
-market size & development
-exchange rates
Institutional dimension
-informal norms
-sectoral interests
-decision-making
-international relations, regimes, attitudes and culture
Ecological dimension
-environmental side-effects
-Climate change
-’Green energy’
-criticism of established policies
Actors need to develop a ’frame’ to comprehend the four dimensions
Russian actors
-state; state bureaucracy; regions; energy companies, etc.
Jean Monnet European Centre of Excellence Tampereen yliopisto

5. Jean Monnet European Centre of Excellence Tampereen yliopisto
Concretizing example: energy efficiency, energy savings and renewables as a pilot project within the Northern Dimension
Resource economic dimension: technologies of ‘green energy’
Financial dimension: needed/available investment
Institutional dimension: policy process, decision-making and the extent to which international relations allow for the necessary technology transfers and regulation to facilitate ‘equal playground’ competition with fossil fuels; consumer attitudes
‘Green energy’ more local/regional/national than fossil fuels!
Ecological dimension: environmental/climate balance of ‘green energy’
The better the four dimensions and actors’ perceptions of the opportunities and constraints they pose is understood (‘frames’ used by actors to makes sense of the policy environment), the better the resulting energy policies and technology solutions will be
So far too deep divide exists between natural scientific/technology and social scientific research
Some models e.g. in energy economics energy geopolitics combine perspectives from fields/disciplines but in an inadequate manner
Jean Monnet European Centre of Excellence Tampereen yliopisto