Transdisciplinary research

Transdisciplinary research

A disciplinary approach is not enough to solve the complex problems we face in the 21st century. The academic world does not have all the answers, nor do politics, economics or civil society. Rather, a collaborative effort is needed in order to achieve a truly sustainable society. Transdisciplinary research and practice is an approach that brings together different perspectives from science and society and catalyzes real-world problem solving. It aims to convey the fundamentals of co-designing solutions, co-production of knowledge and co-evaluation of research practice outcomes to students.

"If the problems do not do us the favor of defining themselves in disciplinary or even subject terms, then special efforts are required, which usually lead out of the subjects or disciplines." Jürgen Mittelstraß (2005)

The objectives of this field in CITES are:

• Research on the introduction of the transdisciplinary approach in sustainability education.
• Development of strategies for the introduction of transdisciplinary methods in engineering education.
• Organization of the next editions of the International Summer School - Transdisciplinarity methods and tools for dealing with sustainability.