What if the key to global sustainability lies in how we collaborate, document and learn? Luis explores how strategic infrastructures can boost transdisciplinary research—and how institutions can become hubs in a global network for transformative change.
In this blog post, the two fellow groups "What is a ‘Good’ Transformation and Who Gets to Define It?" and "Improving Critical Social Science Skills in TDR" share one of the results of their collaboration. They reflect on how power dynamics shape transdisciplinary research and propose ways to improve tools for more inclusive and transformative sustainability changes.
On 29 November 2024, the webinar “Health under Climate Pressure…and Why a Transdisciplinary Approach Is Necessary” took place and spotlighted the urgent challenges at the intersection of climate and health. Couldn't make it? The webinar was recorded and is now available online.
This year's ITD24 conference “Inter- and Transdisciplinarity Beyond Buzzwords: Educational Pathways for Sustainable Research Collaborations” took place from November 8-9, 2024 in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Members of the tdAcademy were represented with three contributions. This short report presents the results of three sessions dealing with societal impacts and their interface with scientific impacts.
How can transdisciplinary and transformative research successfully strive for societal impact? Insights into the concept of ‘impact pathways’ in an exchange between the research groups of ZTG, ISOE and CDE.
On October 28, 2024, the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Oeko-Institute held a workshop on behalf of the tdAcademy with students from Leuphana University Lueneburg on the role of context, formats and methods in transdisciplinary research. The sustainability science students are currently working for a year in transdisciplinary research projects with actors from the local or regional level.
As part of the tdAcademy research, Oeko-Institute organised an online workshop together with the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The workshop dealt with the relationship between contextual conditions and the selection and adaptation of formats in transdisciplinary (TD) research and emphasised the importance of international perspectives. The aim was therefore to improve the understanding and effectiveness of TD research by incorporating different perspectives from different cultures.
The international tdAcademy Summer School 2024 had very good resonance and was successfully held, this time again in the region of l’Alt Empordà in Catalonia. 16 Master and PhD students with very different disciplinary and geographic backgrounds came together from 14th to 20th of September to learn about transdisciplinary methods and to apply them in an exemplary way to questions of regional land use conflicts. Read the report to learn more.
Interested in socio-ecological projects and sustainability research in urban and rural areas? We recommend the newsletter of the BMBF funding programm on Socio-Ecological Research (SÖF).
The Gesellschaft für transdisziplinäre und partizipative Forschung e.V. (GTPF) invites you to its first annual conference “New Horizons in Transdisciplinary Research” to take up impulses from the tdAcademy project and to discuss common challenges and the interplay of contexts, formats and effects in transdisciplinary research.
This year's ITD24 conference “Inter- and Transdisciplinarity Beyond Buzzwords: Educational Pathways for Sustainable Research Collaborations” will take place in Utrecht, the Netherlands, from November 4-8, 2024. In this update, we would like to give you an overview of our contributions.
The fellowship program of the tdAcademy is entering its final phase: the program is still available until March 2025 and is open to further interested candidates. In this post, we report on our current fellows, where they stand, what activities are still planned and which new members we will soon be welcoming.
Wanner et al. use sociological structuration theory to describe the medium and long-term effects of real-world labs. They analyse six projects of co-productive city-making at neighbourhood level.
On June 12, 2024, Topic Lines 1 (societal impact) and 2 (scientific impact) of the tdAcademy project organized a digital workshop on interlinkages of scientific and societal impact of transdisciplinary research. Read the short report to find out more about the process and results of the workshop.
During the first funding phase of the tdAcademy, Martina Schäfer and Josefa Kny developed a workshop format to strengthen impact-oriented project management as well as research activities and tested it by monitoring the impact of seven transdisciplinary projects. Together with Emilia Nagy, they describe the procedure in detail in their article.
A new publication in GAIA is dedicated to the question of what social impacts arise from real-world laboratory processes. Using the “Future City Lüneburg 2030+” real-world laboratory as an example, the authors shed light on how these impacts can be better understood.
In July 2024, the tdAcademy will be represented with a panel contribution at the EASST-4S Conference in Amsterdam. Jasmin Wiefek, Emilia Nagy, and Martina Schäfer will present their approach to the formative evaluation of transdisciplinary research. The method was developed within the project tdAcademy (see Schäfer et al. 2024). Using practical examples from two research projects, they will illustrate the application of their evaluation approach.
The working groups of the GTPF are the central place for discourse and content development within the professional society. With six already established and four in the process of being established, they offer all GTPF members the opportunity to actively participate in the developments of the GTPF. The tdAcademy is also active in the working groups. Learn more about the thematic focuses and the current work program of the respective working groups.
New publication on real-world laboratories and social impacts has been published in GAIA. Based on empirical analyses of 48 projects, Kreß et al. examine and systematize categories of social impacts and their interrelationships as well as key principles for promoting these impacts.
KIT ITAS in Karlsruhe is looking for a student assistant (40-52 h/M) for the tdAcademy project starting July 1. Application until June 10.
tdAcademy has initiated the founding of the Society for Transdisciplinary and Participatory Research (GTPF, German speaking) in May 2023. Members of the tdAcademy are also active in establishing working groups in the GTPF (German speaking) which pursue foci of different topic lines.
The tdAcademy fellow group on narratives in transdisciplinary processes has developed an online course on the role of narratives in transformations. The online course can be used both as a self-study course and as open educational material in teaching. The course materials are in English.
The tdAcademy, the Center for Technology and Society (ZTG) and the Science and Society staff unit at TU Berlin have once again invited participants to an informal discussion as part of the "Let's talk about it" series. This time with Yvonne Siegmund and Laura Brings on dealing with emotions in participatory research and transformation processes.
Explore our new publication presenting a framework for evaluating the societal impact of transdisciplinary research in real-world laboratories. Our Design Report introduces a comprehensive approach to formative evaluation, highlighting examples from biodiversity management and consumer logistics projects.
Isabella Radhuber was a tdAcademy Fellow at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) for three months. She provides us with insights into her activities and experiences during this time and how her perspective on transdisciplinary research has evolved.
Two tdAcademy Fellow Groups met ISOE members in Frankfurt in November 2023. The exchange was about "good transformations" and critical social science skills in transdisciplinary transformative change initiatives.
As part of the series "get to know the tdAcademy team", you had the opportunity to learn more about the "new ones" in the team, their exciting backgrounds and interests over the past few months. Now, we would like to introduce you to the colleagues who have been with us from the very beginning and contributed to building up the tdAcademy. Today, we are pleased to introduce Regina Rhodius (Senior researcher in the topic line 4, OEKO-INSTITUT e.V.).
The working group "Impacts" was established at the annual assembly of the Society for Transdisciplinary and Participatory Research (GTPF) on 22.11.2023 in Chemnitz on the initiative of the ZTG and ISOE. The group's first working meeting took place on January 29, 2024 with 36 participants from a wide range of disciplines and institutions involved in participatory, transdisciplinary and citizen science. Other interested persons are warmly invited to join.
On 12 January 2024, a group of 15 people met to initiate the establishment of a working group on "Formats, methods and context". The kick-off online meeting was used to get to know each other and agree on expectations and goals.
As part of the series "get to know the tdAcademy team", you had the opportunity to learn more about the "new ones" in the team, their exciting backgrounds and interests over the past few months. Now, we would like to introduce you to the colleagues who have been with us from the very beginning and contributed to building up the tdAcademy. Today, we are pleased to introduce Lena Theiler (project team member, topic line 2, ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological research).
As part of the series "get to know the tdAcademy team", you had the opportunity to learn more about the "new ones" in the team, their exciting backgrounds and interests over the past few months. Now, we would like to introduce you to the colleagues who have been with us from the very beginning and contributed to building up the tdAcademy. Today, we are pleased to introduce Oskar Marg (project team member, topic line 2, ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological research).
On 6 December 2023, the tdAcademy fellowship group “Transdisciplinary Learning Towards Collective Transformation” hosted a webinar, sharing their experiences on TD learning. You couldn't be there or would like to listen again? Watch the recording in full length.
With the start of the second funding phase of the tdAcademy on June 1, 2023, we welcomed some new colleagues who have been enriching our team with their different backgrounds and enthusiasm for transdisciplinary research for several weeks now. With the series "Get to know the tdAcademy team" you can learn more about the "new ones". Today we are pleased to introduce you to Jasmin Wiefek (Project Associate, ZTG/TU Berlin).
With the start of the second funding phase of the tdAcademy on June 1, 2023, we welcomed some new colleagues who have been enriching our team with their different backgrounds and enthusiasm for transdisciplinary research for several weeks now. With the series "Get to know the tdAcademy team" you can learn more about the "new ones". Today we are pleased to introduce you to Emilia Nagy (Project Associate, Topic Line 1, ZTG/TU Berlin).
With the start of the second funding phase of the tdAcademy on June 1, 2023, we welcomed some new colleagues who have been enriching our team with their different backgrounds and enthusiasm for transdisciplinary research for several weeks now. With the series "Get to know the tdAcademy team" you can learn more about the "new ones". Today we are pleased to introduce you to Annika Weiser (Project Associate, Topic Line 3, ITAS KIT).
From 22 to 24 November 2023, the "Second Conference on Networking and Strengthening Participation in Science" (in German language) took place in Chemnitz. The tdAcademy was involved with several panels. We were very pleased about the inspiring discussions with members of various research communities.
On November 22, 2023, the german-speaking Society for Transdisciplinary and Participatory Research held its first major general assembly in Chemnitz in advance of PartWiss 23. The GTPF now has nearly 200 members and is looking forward to welcoming further new members.
Recent literature on the evaluation of transdisciplinary research has focused almost entirely on the societal effects. But what about the added value of transdisciplinary research for science? An article published by topic line 2 explores this question.
With the start of the second funding phase of the tdAcademy on June 1, 2023, we welcomed some new colleagues who have been enriching our team with their different backgrounds and enthusiasm for transdisciplinary research for several weeks now. With the series "Get to know the tdAcademy team" you can learn more about the "new ones". Today we are pleased to introduce you to Nina Frölich (Project Associate, Topic Line 3, ITAS KIT).
The tdAcademy, the Center for Technology and Society (ZTG), and the Science and Society Department of the TU Berlin have once again invited for an informal exchange in the discussion series 'Let's talk about it'.
From 25.09. to 29.09. the first trinational Summer School took place at the Studienhaus Wiesneck (Buchenbach, close to Freiburg), conceptualized and organized by the Öko-Institut in cooperation with EUCOR and the University of Freiburg. 20 Master and PhD students from 20 disciplines from the trinational EUCOR region spent five days intensively working on formats and methods of transdisciplinary research using the example of urban climate adaptation.
The second international tdAcademy Summer School took place in 2023 and found positive resonance once again. 19 Master and PhD students with very different disciplinary and geographic backgrounds came together in Bad Freienwalde from 17th to 22nd September to learn about transdisciplinary methods and to apply them in an exemplary way to questions in rural areas of north-eastern Brandenburg. For all participants, this was an exciting and enriching continuation of the Summer School cooperation between the tdAcademy team at the ZTG and the ISST of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC).
With the start of the second funding phase of the tdAcademy on June 1, 2023, we welcomed some new colleagues who have been enriching our team with their different backgrounds and enthusiasm for transdisciplinary research for several weeks now. With the series "Get to know the tdAcademy team" you can learn more about the "new ones". Second up is Michael Kreß-Ludwig (project coordination, main office, ISOE).
With the start of the second funding phase of the tdAcademy on June 1, 2023, we welcomed some new colleagues who have been enriching our team with their different backgrounds and enthusiasm for transdisciplinary research for several weeks now. With the series "Get to know the tdAcademy team" you can learn more about the "new ones". The first one is Chantal Krumm (research assistant, main office, ISOE).
What role do narratives play in shaping inclusive transdisciplinary processes? This is the question addressed by the tdAcademy Fellowgroup "Fostering inclusivity and transformative research through narratives in transdisciplinary processes". Different perspectives on this question are the result of a workshop with experts from science and practice.
The University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) seeks to appoint a Full Professor of Social Ecology with 1st December 2023. Apply until 15th September 2023.
Since June, the second phase of the tdAcademy project has commenced, with a research focus on exploring the interfaces between the topic lines.
In April and May 2023, the fellow group on Transdisciplinarity for Holistic Sustainability Education: New Learning Approaches spent two months at Leuphana. In this short report you will learn more about the work of the Fellows.
In this article, Farina Tolksdorf and Celina Bittger (Topic Line 3) report the findings of the tdAcademy collected in the first phase of the project on continuing education programmes in the context of transdisciplinary research.
The tdAcademy group of supporting partners has published a position paper on the promotion of transdisciplinarity as well as participatory and transformative approaches in science, business, civil society and politics. Support the cause with your signature!
The tdAcademy Fellow Group "Societal Impact" present the results of their collaboration on " Measuring and Evaluating Societal Impact" in their paper recently published in GAIA. Read now!
The TU Berlin is looking for a projectmanager (m/f/x) to establish and manage an office within the newly founded Society for Transdisciplinary and Participatory Research. Application deadline: May 1, 2023.
At the beginning of spring, we are looking forward to exciting and promising fellow groups visiting the partner institutes of the tdAcademy in the coming weeks and months and do research on a variety of topics relevant to transdisciplinary research.
We ask for your participation in our short online survey for the further development and optimization of the tdAcademy online hub. Please take about 5 minutes of your time and give us feedback!
The webinar with Ulli Vilsmaier (Responsive Research Collective, Switzerland) on is now available online.
The webinar with Ana Burgos (Autonomous University of Mexico, UNAM) is now available online.
In September 2022, the first Summer School of the tdAcademy took place. Two participating students talked with Gemma Tejedor (ISST/UPC) about the format and its pilot implementation.
In the webinar „Keep rol(l)ing! Developing Theories of Change in inter- and transdisciplinary contexts“ on July 12, 2022, the tdAcademy team at ZTG and Sabine Hoffmann (eawag) presented the results of their collaborative working process.
The webinar with Gemma Tejedor and Jordi Segalas (ISST/UPC) on "Introducing Transdisciplinarity in Higher Education" is now available online.
In this short interview Tamara talks about her time at tdAcademy and reflects on her past and current points of contact with transdisciplinary research and contextual dependencies.
In this webinar, Peter Wehling analyses the relationship between established science and transdisciplinarity and deconstructs the most common objections towards transdisciplinarity.
In March 2022, the tdAcademy conducted a workshop together with the Schader Foundation on how educational offerings promote mutual learning and design processes.
Watch the recording from our Webinar with Sadaf Taimur on 'Design thinking as Digital Transformative Pedagogy in Higher Sustainability Education.'
Florian Knutzen (GERICS, Helmholtz Center Hereon) talks about his experiences from our Impact Workshop.
In the webinar on December 9th, 2021, tdAcademy-Fellows Livia Fritz and Ulli Vilsmaier elaborated on and discussed the concept of hegemony in the work of Antonio Gramsci.
On November 26th 2021, the Supporting Partners of the tdAcademy met virtually for their second meeting.
As a kickoff of the tdAcademy Capacity Building event series Guido Caniglia and Christopher Luederitz shared fruitful insights into action-oriented knowledge for sustainability with us on September 21, 2021.
Results from the early-career session as part of the ITD Conference in September 2021
At the ITD Conference 2021, topic line 1 will be present with a session on impact assessment and reflection. Interested researchers can already contribute in advance.
Please provide feedback to our event calendar and our current capacity-building offers. In this way you help us to improve and diversify our offers!
In preparation for the session, we present the submissions for the ITD workshop on ToC.
Simone Rödder, elected member of the tdAcademy Steering Committee, talks about her role and the importance of the tdAcademy group of Supporting Partners.
In preparation for the session, we present the submissions for the ITD workshop on impact assessment.
In March and July 2021, two dialogue forums for scientists and practitioners with different methodological approaches took place. The short report summarizes the process and results of the workshops.
Christoph Siemers from Stadtentwässerung Braunschweig GmbH talks about his experiences and impressions of the tdAcademy impact workshop.
Caroline Fernolend (Mihai Eminescu Trust) reports on her experience from the tdAcademy Impact Workshop.
Flurin Cappis from the Economic, Energy and Environment Directorate of the Canton Bern on the tdAcademy Impact Workshop.
Several workshops on impact reflection have taken place in the topic line Societal Effects. Participant Stephanie Moser (CDE, University of Bern) shares her insights in the video (in German).
The first workshops on impact reflection have taken place in the topic line Societal Effects. Participant Hannah Sachße shares her insights in the video (in German).
Christian Pohl, elected member of the tdAcademy Steering Committee, talks about his role and the importance of the tdAcademy group of Supporting Partners.