Explore Transdisciplinary Interface Management (TIM) with the “Evidence from the Field” Video Series

Experts share their stories of managing transdisciplinary interfaces

In an era marked by escalating climate change, biodiversity loss, and geopolitical conflicts, the urgency for effective sustainability solutions has never been more pronounced. Addressing these multifaceted challenges demands a collaborative, or “transdisciplinary” approach between scientists and practitioners to co-create workable sustainability solutions. Yet, this collaboration can be challenging, as ways of knowing and working, timelines, and success are different for practitioners and scientists. There is a risk that lack of expertise in facilitating transdisciplinary approaches can result in mismanaged partnerships or insufficient knowledge for developing solutions. Fortunately, emerging research has shown that designated professionals called Transdisciplinary Interface Managers (TI-Managers) can provide critical service to support collaboration at the interface of science and practice.

To support the professionalization of this role and to respond to the calls for training, a training program for Transdisciplinary Interface Management (TIM) has been developed by the Transformational Sustainability Science Group at the University of Freiburg. The draft program was reviewed by a group of international experts as part of the tdAcademy Fellowship Program. The willingness of these 16 experts to travel to Frankfurt – across seas and national borders – to review the program and share their experiences over the course of a multiple days workshop as well as through pre-workshop interviews, is further evidence for the need for such a training. Specifically, as the experts clearly confirmed the need for different types of TI-Managers, in particular TI-Managers facilitating transdisciplinary research on the level of the organization (institutional TI-Managers) and on the level of a specific project (project TI-Managers). Their insights helped refine the collective understanding of TIM, challenges, and solutions, as well as priorities for finalizing the training program.

The draft Transdisciplinary Interface Management (TIM) training entails a series of modules illustrating the role, activities, and competencies of TI-Managers as well as teaching materials (both in development). The content of the TIM Training modules and teaching materials is brought to life through a third component of the training: a series of videos from an international group of acting TI-Managers and experts who share real-world experiences from transdisciplinary interfaces. These videos, collectively referred to as the “Evidence from the Field” Video Series, offer relatable stories and practical advice for current and aspiring TI-Managers.

Application:

These videos can be viewed by independent learners, adapted to university curricula, or used as professional development material for scientists, practitioners, and acting TI-Managers working on transdisciplinary collaboration. For instance, one set of videos by Braden Kay traces the development of a transdisciplinary interface from inception to institutionalization of an interface, offering a perspective on the temporal dimension of setting up TIM. While each video is designed to be viewed independently, they have also been organized to match the sequence of the modules in the TIM training program (in development).

Videos have been recorded in the preferred languages of this international group of experts (English, German, Spanish, and Dutch). Subtitles and video help text is translated into English.

To honor the insights shared by each expert, the videos are made available under the Creative Commons License BY-NC-SA, meaning that use, adaptation, and sharing is possible as long as appropriate credit is given, sharing uses the same licensing and is for non-commercial use.

Introduction
  • Learning from Experience: Why transdisciplinary research needs TIM - Alex Ramey
Transdisciplinary Interface Management (TIM) & Institutional Structures

  • Launching a Transdisciplinary Interface: From responding to scientists’s request to intentional collaborations - Braden Kay

  • Institutionalizing TIM at Universities: Steps for establishing TI-Manager positions - Chantal Krumm

  • Institutionalizing TIM at Universities: Enabling structures for TIM to enhance research - Geertje Speelman

  • Institutionalizing TIM at Universities: Cultivating collaboration through annually recurring formats - Judith Moering

  • Institutionalizing TIM at Universities: Leveraging education for transdisciplinary research - Michael Stauffacher

Learning Objectives/TIM Competencies

  • Enacting TIM Competencies: A pTI-Manager creates synergies between science and research - Sophia McRae

  • Enacting TIM Competencies: An iTI-Manager matches practitioners’ needs to learning objectives - Judith Moering

  • Mediating Multisectoral Interests: Building consensus across divergent stakeholder groups - Luis Antonio Bojórquez Tapia

Main Tasks of the institutional TI-Manager

  • Piloting the Transdisciplinary Interface: Creating programmatic partnerships and projects - Braden Kay

  • Growing the Transdisciplinary Interface: Bringing communities into city-university partnerships - Braden Kay

  • Fostering the Transdisciplinary Interface: Deepening relations and applying results from prior work - Braden Kay

  • Laying the Groundwork: From projects to deep and durable city-university partnerships - Fletcher Beaudoin

Main Tasks of the project TI-Manager

  • Doing the Homework: The pTI-Manager’s responsibility to facilitate meaningful partner interactions - Alex Ramey

  • Balancing Interests: The pTI-Manager’s responsibility for good collaboration and good science - Katja Brundiers

  • Staying Firm on Quality: The pTI-Manager’s responsibility in protecting scientific rigor for impact - Katja Brundiers

  • Finding Common Language: The pTI-Manager’s responsibility to make information accessible for diverse participants - Elvira Tatiana Merino Benítez

Reflections about the Learning Journey

Working Through Uncertainty: Learning to reframe uncertainty from a threat into a resource - Michael Stauffacher

Inquiries

While the February TIM Training Workshop marked a significant milestone in developing a TIM Training Program, the module content and teaching materials will be finalized in summer and piloted in fall 2025. If you are interested in…

  • learning more about the program

  • contributing your “Evidence from the Field”

  • or share any other experiences,

… please fill out our interest form here.

Acknowledgements

The TIM Training Program has been developed with support from the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship for Sustainable Food Economy and the tdAcademy Fellowship Program.

Graphic design: Luise Unser, Transformational Sustainability Science Group, University of Freiburg.

Sources & Key Readings from Expert Participants & Partners

  • Brundiers, K., Wiek, A., & Kay, B. (2013). The role of transacademic interface managers in transformational sustainability research and education. Sustainability, 5(11), 4614-4636.

  • Caughman, L., Beaudoin, F., Withycombe Keeler, L. (2023). The project-partnership cycle: managing city-university partnerships for urban sustainability and resilience transformations. Urban transformations, 5 (1). DOI: 10.1186/s42854-023-00055-x.

  • Hoffmann, S., Deutsch, L., Klein, J. T., & O’Rourke, M. (2022). Integrate the integrators! A call for establishing academic careers for integration experts. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 9(1), 147. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-022-01138-z

  • Krumm, C., Brundiers, K., Lang, D.J., Merino-Benítez, T., Wiek, A., & Lux, A. (2025, in review). Effectiveness of Transdisciplinary Interface Management in Sustainability Research. Sustainability Science.

  • Krumm, C. (2022). Institutional Development of Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research. The Role of Transacademic Interface Managers. [Master Thesis]. Leuphana Universität Lüneburg & Arizona State University.

  • netzwerk n e.V. (July/2018): Zukunftsfähige Hochschulen gestalten. Beispiele des Gelingens aus Lehre, Forschung, Betrieb, Governance und Transfer. Edited by Nick Heinke, Johannes Geibel, Lisa Weinhold. netzwerk n e.V. Berlin (ISBN 978-3-9819669-1-6). Available online at https://netzwerk-n.org/.

  • Schneider, F., Wiek, A., Brundiers, K. et al. (2024). Institutionalisierung transdisziplinärer Forschung an Hochschulen. Forschungsantrag des Instituts für sozial-ökologische Forschung (ISOE) GmbH und der Universität Freiburg.

  • Stauffacher, M. (2024). Co-production: a functional-dynamic approach. In F. Darbellay (Ed.), Elgar encyclopedias in the social sciences series. Elgar encyclopedia of interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity (pp. 60-65). https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035317967.ch14

  • Utrecht University (2025): Transdisciplinary Field Guide. Available online at https://www.uu.nl/en/research/transdisciplinary-field-guide, updated on 3/31/2025, checked on 4/28/2025.

  • Withycombe Keeler, L., Beaudoin, F., Cid, A., et al. (2023). Building transformative city-university sustainability partnerships: the Audacious Partnerships Process. Urban transformations 5 (1), p. 1. DOI: 10.1186/s42854-022-00045-5.