Building and maintaining an interdisciplinary research team

Successful grant-writing in Alzheimer disease research, as with many other diseases, requires collaborative work among a group of individuals who represent various disciplines of relevance to the research problem. Interdisciplinary teams in Alzheimer disease research have the potential to explore more facets of a given research problem than teams that are not interdisciplinary in nature. Such teams also have the potential to produce better science and to disseminate results to a wider spectrum of relevant groups, may be more successful in achieving funding, and are stimulating and growth-enhancing for members. Building and maintaining these teams is a complex and challenging process, but identification and proactive resolution of challenges is essential. Important elements of success include establishing common goals, using a democratic group process, maintaining open communication, developing mutually acceptable policies for disseminating research results, and facilitating achievement of team members' personal and professional goals.