Clusterization of Research in Universities: An Emerging Model, Its Forms and Consequences

Clusterized research is an increasingly dominant model of organizing research that profoundly affects contemporary universities. Historically, universities’ primary missions of research and teaching were carried out by departments. Clusterized research now challenges these departmental structures and traditional university governance. This paper examines the growth and implications of various organizational forms of clusterized research. These forms are evident in diverse national contexts and primarily involve temporary and interdisciplinary research units, such as centers of excellence, interdisciplinary institutes, and research groups. These temporary units operate within universities as permanent organizations. The paper shows how semi-temporary, boundary-spanning units—often established for interdisciplinary goals and competitive funding—are gradually becoming a structural counterpart to departments and thereby reorder authority, resources, and academic work with implications for governance, collegiality, and innovation.