Highly Integrative Basic And Responsive (HIBAR) research projects are the type of projects that pursue basic knowledge while addressing urgent societal challenges. HIBAR projects are co-led by collaborative cross-sectoral teams, including both academics and experts working outside of basic research who bring leadership skills and deep understanding of a societal problem. Researchers in all fields, including social sciences, humanities, science, engineering, and medicine, are central to many HIBAR projects.
HIBAR projects are:
The inherent synergy within a HIBAR research project accelerates knowledge creation and generates better solutions, making a distinct and valuable contribution to the research landscape.
This synergy is the result of:
Sustained urgency is a hallmark of a HIBAR research project: team members are passionate about addressing the societal problem as quickly as possible, while recognizing that building the required deep understanding takes time.
HIBAR projects have a long history of profound breakthroughs. The advent of the transistor is an often-cited 20th century example and the development of CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology is a fascinating modern one. HIBAR research projects have always existed in universities, but they have been less common than the usual forms of basic or applied research.