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.
In the short video below, Alliance Director Lorne Whitehead describes the characteristics of HIBAR research projects.