In this paper we address two initiatives for the construction of an institutional space for interdisciplinary research in two Latin American universities: the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) in Argentina and the University of the Republic (UdelaR) in Uruguay. They were two innovative initiatives that broke with the organization of university in faculties and proposed a cross-disciplinary unit. This article presents a comparative analysis of both experiences based on a qualitative methodology that included semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Our examination focused on three aspects: (i) objectives and context of creation, (ii) activities and strategies of integration into the pre-existing university structure and (iii) difficulties to gain legitimacy. Based on the fieldwork conducted, we identified four characteristics that can be linked to a better development of these centers: (a) good integration with pre-existing structures, (b) flexible organizational structure, (c) openness to teaching, outreach and knowledge transfer actitivies and (d) a well-defined institutional development plan.
Key words:
Interdisciplinarity; Latin America; University.