This study examined the socio-economic relevance of multidisciplinary research and its implications for sustainable public universities in Rivers State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted to investigate this phenomenon among academic staff. The population comprised 2,849 lecturers across three public universities, from which a sample of 352 respondents was determined using the Taro Yamane formula. Stratified random sampling was employed to ensure representation of 246 male and 106 female lecturers. Data were collected using a 15-item structured questionnaire (SERMRSPUQ) based on a four-point Likert scale. The instrument was validated by experts and achieved a reliability coefficient of 0.82 using Cronbach Alpha. Out of 352 copies administered, 337 were retrieved and analyzed. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer research questions, while z-test was used to test hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that multidisciplinary research is highly socio-economically relevant (grand mean = 2.74), particularly in promoting innovation commercialization, improving institutional ranking, enhancing employability, and attracting external funding. However, significant barriers to collaboration were identified (grand mean = 2.78), including restrictive promotion criteria, inadequate funding, lack of shared facilities, insufficient digital databases, and heavy administrative workloads. The study also identified effective strategies for enhancing collaboration (grand mean = 2.83), such as revising promotion guidelines, establishing interdisciplinary research hubs, creating dedicated grant schemes, and strengthening industry partnerships. Additionally, no significant differences were found between male and female lecturers’ perceptions across all variables. The study concludes that despite its high relevance, multidisciplinary research is constrained by systemic institutional barriers. It recommends that universities revise promotion policies to adequately reward collaborative research efforts.

Keywords: Socioeconomic, Multidisciplinary Research, Public Universities, Education.