Many interview participants commented that when TREC I started, there was no universally agreed-upon definition of TD research that distinguished it from other forms of crossdisciplinary research, little in the way of published guidelines specifying how to engage in TD team science, and a paucity of published examples of prior TD team science projects. As a result, a major challenge to their TD team science projects was the lack of knowledge about “what TD research is”, “how to get there”, and why to do it. Interview participants said that the lack of prior exemplars of successful TD research, in particular, contributed to the extended time it took for some TREC I participants to realize the value of TD integration, particularly with disciplines that were outside of the scope of their work until interactions were created via TREC I grantee meetings. This environment made it challenging for TREC I participants to conceptualize, plan for, embark upon, and implement TD research.
