Consensus Study Report

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This activity was supported by contracts/grants between the National Academy of Sciences and the Keck Foundation (#9554) and the National Institutes of Health (HHSN263201800029I/75N98023F00012). Generous support of the work of the Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences comes from the National Science Foundation (Award 2234961), the National Institute on Aging, the American Psychological Association, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-73441-7
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/29043
Library of Congress Control Number: 2025943511

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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2025. The Science and Practice of Team Science. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/29043.

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COMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND APPLICATION IN TEAM SCIENCE

DIANA BURLEY (Co-Chair), American University

MO WANG (Co-Chair), University of Florida

DOROTHY CARTER, Michigan State University

ERIN KAI-LING CHIOU, Arizona State University

DEBORAH DIAZGRANADOS, Virginia Commonwealth University

STEPHEN M. FIORE, University of Central Florida

MICHAEL C. FRANK, Stanford University

NICOLE B. MOTZER, Montana State University

MARK T. PETERS, MITRE Corporation

SUSAN J. SIMKINS, The Pennsylvania State University

BONNIE SWENOR, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions (through July 2024)

KELLY D. TAYLOR, University of California, San Francisco

CORY VALENTE, Dow Chemical Company

CHRISTOPHER W. WIESE, Georgia Institute of Technology

Study Staff

KELSEY N. SCHUCH, Study Director

SHARON BRITT, Program Coordinator

JACQUELINE COLE, Senior Program Assistant (through July 2024)

KATHERINE R. KANE, Research Associate (as of December 2024)

ASHTON RAY, Senior Program Assistant (through March 2025)

EMANUEL ROBINSON, Board Director, Board on Human-Systems Integration

DANIEL TALMAGE, Program Officer (through October 2024)

EMILY A. VARGAS, Program Officer (as of December 2024)

DANIEL J. WEISS, Board Director, Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences

Consultants

JOE ALPER, Independent Science Writer

HEATHER KREIDLER, Fact or Fiction LLC

BOARD ON BEHAVIORAL, COGNITIVE, AND SENSORY SCIENCES

ELIZABETH A. PHELPS (Chair), Harvard University

MIGUEL P. ECKSTEIN, University of California, Santa Barbara

WILSON S. GEISLER, The University of Texas at Austin

MICHELE J. GELFAND, Stanford University

MARA MATHER, University of Southern California

ULRICH MAYR, University of Oregon

KATHERINE L. MILKMAN, University of Pennsylvania

MARY C. MURPHY, Indiana University

ELISSA L. NEWPORT, Georgetown University

DON OPERARIO, Emory University

DAVID E. POEPPEL, New York University

KARL W. REID, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MO WANG, University of Florida

DUANE WATSON, Vanderbilt University

DANIEL J. WEISS, Director

BOARD ON HUMAN-SYSTEMS INTEGRATION

FREDERICK L. OSWALD (Chair), Rice University

TARA S. BEHREND, Michigan State University

ANN M. BISANTZ, State University of New York at Buffalo

LINDA NG BOYLE, New York University

NANCY J. CURRIE-GREGG, Texas A&M University

MARY CZERWINSKI, University of Washington

ROLLIN J. FAIRBANKS III, MedStar Health

QIWEI HE, Georgetown University

JANAE N. LOCKETT-REYNOLDS, Department of Homeland Security

JULIE MARBLE, University of Maryland

NATHAN J. MCNEESE, Clemson University

MICHAEL MULLER, International Business Machines Corporation

DENIZ ONES, University of Minnesota

MARK T. PETERS, MITRE Corporation

CHRISTOPHER R. REID, The Boeing Company

MICHELLE M. ROBERTSON, Northeastern University

WENDY A. ROGERS, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

EVA M. SAGE-GAVIN, Accenture

LAWRENCE G. SHATTUCK, Naval Postgraduate School (Retired)

HENG XU, University of Florida

EMANUEL ROBINSON, Director

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Reviewers

This consensus study report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.

We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations of this report, nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by JULIE RYAN, Wyndrose Technical Group, and JONATHAN MORENO, University of Pennsylvania Health System. They were responsible for making certain that

an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.

Acknowledgments

The committee and staff thank the many individuals and groups who contributed to this report and made it possible. First, we acknowledge the generous support of the W. M. Keck Foundation and 17 institutes and centers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These include the Sexual & Gender Minority Research Office, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) BRAIN Initiative, NINDS, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Cancer Institute, Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity, National Institute on Aging, Fogarty International Center, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Nursing Research, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Office of Disease Prevention, and Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research. Generous support of the work of the Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences comes from the National Science Foundation (Award 2234961), the National Institute on Aging, the American Psychological Association, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

The committee also greatly benefited from presentations and discussions from external experts. These include Emily Ackerman, Harvard Medical School; Kathleen Bogart, Oregon State University; Jordan Clarence, Carelon Behavioral Health; Jeni Cross, Colorado State University; Alyssa Dolge, Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, NIH; Kevin Doran, University of Colorado Boulder; Matthew Dye, Rochester Institute

of Technology; Sindy Escobar Alvarez, Doris Duke Foundation; Leslie Fan Kohlenberg, Dow Chemical; Erin Fitzgerald, Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security; Sharon Glotzer, University of Michigan; Jeanne-Marie Guise, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; C. K. Gunsalus, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Kara Hall, National Cancer Institute; Holly Hapke, University of California, Irvine; Christine Hendren, Appalachian State University; Zeynab Jouzi, Cornell University; Pramod P. Khargonekar, University of California, Irvine; Poorna Kushalnagar, Gallaudet University; Songqi Liu, National Science Foundation; Michael O’Rourke, Michigan State University; Kim Patten, University of Arizona; Bryce Pilz, University of Michigan; Michael Potter, University of California, San Francisco; Maritza Salazar Campo, University of California, Irvine; Wendy Shaw, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Marissa Shuffler, Clemson University; Tori Simenec, University of Minnesota Twin Cities; Cynthia Spence, Spelman College; Erica Spotts, Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, NIH; Daniel Stokols, University of California, Irvine; Barbara Walker, University of California, Santa Barbara; Melissa Walsh, Brown University; and Susan Wolf, University of Minnesota.

We thank the authors of the commissioned papers that accompany this report, which greatly helped in developing the report. These include Mahya Behesti, New York University; Megan Morris, University of Colorado School of Medicine; Kara Ayers, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital; Sarika Gopalakrishnan, Envision Research Institute; Walter Wittich, University of Montreal; J. R. Rizzo, New York University; and Heng Xu, University of Florida.

We also thank Heather Kreidler and Joe Alper and their contributions as science writers, as well as the individuals who served as reviewers.

Finally, we thank our colleagues on the committee for their hard work, expertise, time, and dedication in serving on this consensus study.

Contents

Preface

Acronyms and Abbreviations

Summary

1 Introduction

STUDY BACKGROUND AND CHARGE TO THE COMMITTEE

COMMITTEE APPROACH

ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT

REFERENCES

2 Review of Current Science of Team Science

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM ENHANCING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TEAM SCIENCE

IMPLEMENTING THE 2015 RECOMMENDATIONS: SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES

REFERENCES

3 Best Practices

EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

BEST PRACTICES FOR SUPPORTING SCIENCE TEAMS

FUTURE RESEARCH QUESTIONS

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

REFERENCES

4 Institutional and External Supports for Team Science

INSTITUTIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE

INSTITUTIONAL CULTURE AND POLICY

FUNDERS

SCIENTIFIC INCENTIVES

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

REFERENCES

5 Evaluating Team Science

IMPORTANCE OF TEAM SCIENCE EVALUATION

CHALLENGES OF TEAM SCIENCE EVALUATION

A FRAMEWORK FOR GUIDING TEAM SCIENCE EVALUATION

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

REFERENCES

6 Forward-Looking Research Recommendations and Infrastructure Needs

BEST PRACTICES

INSTITUTIONAL AND EXTERNAL SUPPORT

EVALUATION

IDENTIFICATION OF RESEARCH GAPS

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Appendix A Committee Biosketches

Appendix B Team Science Background

Appendix C High-Functioning Science Teams

Appendix D Sampling of Survey-Based Team Assessments

Appendix E Glossary

Boxes and Tables

BOXES

1-1 Statement of Task

1-2 Interested Parties Relevant to Team Science

1-3 Definitions of Collaborative Approaches

2-1 Recommendations from Enhancing the Effectiveness of Team Science

4-1 The Role of Open Science in Facilitating Team Science

4-2 Using Open Products and Resource-Tracking to Align Team Science Incentives

TABLES

3-1 Research Questions for Understanding Effective Science Teams

3-2 Summary of Best Practices for Science Teams

D-1 Sampling of Survey-Based Team Assessments

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Preface

This report highlights the growing importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, underscoring how modern scientific challenges often demand team-based approaches that integrate expertise from multiple fields. As contemporary research problems become more complex, no single discipline can address them fully, making team science critical for innovation. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s 2015 report, Enhancing the Effectiveness of Team Science, emphasized that over 90% of scientific and engineering publications were coauthored, illustrating the prominence of collaborative efforts. This new report builds on that foundation by addressing how recent developments—such as virtual collaboration and advancements in artificial intelligence—have reshaped the landscape of team science.

This report is particularly significant as it examines both the opportunities and challenges team science presents in today’s rapidly evolving research environment. By investigating how to harness virtual and hybrid collaborations effectively, this report offers timely insights for best practices. It also addresses a critical need: preparing the scientific workforce with the skills, tools, and training it needs to navigate these collaborative environments. As such, this report provides valuable guidance for fostering effective, inclusive, and impactful team science, making it an essential resource for shaping the future of interdisciplinary research.

We wish to express our deep appreciation to the members of the committee for their diligent and dedicated contributions. Their expertise and knowledge were indispensable throughout our deliberations, and their efforts, which often required working nights and weekends, are particularly

notable given the incredibly challenging year it has been. We cannot thank them enough.

On behalf of the entire committee, we wish to thank the National Academies staff for their outstanding support and guidance. We are also deeply appreciative to Heather Kreidler for her writing and fact-checking, and the report benefited deeply from the editing skills of Joe Alper. Additionally, we want to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who contributed their time, expertise, and experiences to our committee. The presentations, resources, and insights contributed immensely to our deliberations. Finally, we wish to thank National Institutes of Health staff for their partnership and forthright participation throughout this process. We also thank the Keck Foundation for providing the funds for the committee to travel to in-person meetings.

Diana Burley and Mo Wang, Co-Chairs
Committee on Research and Application in Team Science
June 2025

Acronyms and Abbreviations