We are pleased to feature two Panel Plenary sessions at the SciTS 2025 Conference! One of these sessions is Team Science and Translating Research Findings for Application in the Real World: Understanding and Addressing the Challenges.

Details on this Panel Plenary session can be found below.

Panel Plenary
Title: Team Science and Translating Research Findings for Application in the Real World: Understanding and Addressing the Challenges
Presenters: Gregory A. Ruark - DEVCOM ARL Army Research Office
Amanda L. Vogel - National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS/NIH)
M. Khair ElZarrad - US Food and Drug Administration
Stephen M. Fiore - University of Central Florida.
When: Tuesday, July 29, 2025, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT

Description: The problem of translation has been ever present in science. Despite numerous advances in our understanding of the natural and social world, only a fraction of what has been discovered is ever translated into real world outcomes. In medical studies, laboratory findings rarely transition to treatments. In educational research, seldom do we see findings move to the classroom in a systematic or even empirically sound manner. In the social and behavioral sciences, it is uncommon to see results translated into workable solutions.

Even with science and technology research funded by the Department of Defense, the transitions from basic science to application are so infrequent the problem has been termed the “valley of death”. Furthermore, even when scientific translation does occur, not only is there a lack of theory and methods for effective evaluation, but there is also rarely any form of systematic evaluation. Although this problem has long been known, a clear understanding of the impediments to translation, or methods for its evaluation, have yet to be articulated. The reality is that the problem is so complex and multifaceted, it requires insights from a variety of perspectives and disciplines.

Moreover, it is an open question to what extent translational practices that are effective in one field are appropriate for another. Given the broad group of stakeholders required to understand the variety of issues with moving from scientific findings to product delivery, translation represents an area where theories of teamwork and team science can make a contribution. This plenary panel submission assembles experts from varied research funding organizations (NSF, FDA, NIH) to discuss the issues in understanding and addressing the problem of science translation. The panel will discuss notional models for translation, challenges faced when pursuing translation, and attempt to outline key factors needed to map out this complex problem space.

The goal is to encourage the science of team science community to help examine this complicated form of scientific teamwork and encourage researchers to address the many collaboration barriers preventing translation. Finally, the panelists will discuss funding opportunities available at their organizations that are focused on fostering theoretical and empirical advances on these issues.

The SciTS Annual Conference is the flagship of the International Network for the Science of Team Science (INSciTS). It continues to be the premier annual gathering of scholars, practitioners, and providers in the field of Team Science, bringing together a broad range of disciplines to share and advance the latest evidence-based methods in team collaboration and transdisciplinary science. Speakers and attendees will include investigators, administrators, students, funders, and policymakers. Our community includes academia, government, industry, and many other sectors, and spans a multitude of knowledge domain spaces. Anyone interested in improving collaborative research and discovery is welcome!

More information, including  additional conference details and registration can be found at www.SciTSConference.org.

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