Conference Agenda

Aix-Marseille University is a multidisciplinary university, with a variety of interdisciplinary programs and projects in research and education supported since 2012. Despite a series of successes and achievements supported by the "excellence initiative" label awarded to our University, in 2020 the newly-elected governance came to the realization that pushing interdisciplinarity further required a more proactive and encompassing approach to promote lasting change. Indeed, a political and strategic undertaking still lacked to give substance to this cross-cutting priority as a whole, through a genuine mainstreaming approach enabling Aix-Marseille University to capitalize on its multi-disciplinary potential in interdisciplinary production and community of practices.

Therefore, on the basis of an in-depth inventory and consultation with the actors, together with an international comparative analysis of governance models, a new Mission for Inter- and Transdisciplinarity was launched in 2021 with four strategic objectives. We will present this benchlearning, the Mission’s four objectives and their applications at this conference, in an attempt to identify the (replicable) keys to success of an institutional strategic approach to interdisciplinarity. We believe our prime ambition to address these four complementary objectives simultaneously at an institutional level, down to the operational level, i.e. from supporting implementation to gaining visibility (far from buzzwords and interdisciplinary washing) makes our approach quite relevant and efficient.

This is a pilot mission and a unique initiative among French universities, launched and carried out with the support of CNRS and IRD, two national research organizations at the forefront of interdisciplinary approaches and sustainability sciences. Aix-Marseille University therefore works together with these partners and benefits from their expertise in inter- and transdisciplinary research, while also tackling the challenges of interdisciplinarity in higher education. The level of achievement of the Mission’s goals is measured yearly, with a more detailed review after 3 years, in a "reflexive" perspective inspired by the quality approach. The Mission for Inter- and Transdisciplinarity thus aims to transform reality as much as to produce and disseminate knowledge about these transformations, thanks to its evaluative workstream. As Kurt Lewin wrote: "If you really want to understand something, try to change it." The issue of structural obstacles to interdisciplinarity is indeed as complex as it is fundamental: addressing it demands willpower, boldness, creativity and resources (in terms of time, HR and funding).

Thanks to the "learn by doing" approach enabled by this full-scale implementation, we will share with the conference’s audience how the Mission boosted interdisciplinary change in the last 3 years, what challenges we faced (trying to distinguish between those linked to the particularities of French universities and those that are generic obstacles to interdisciplinary transformation) and how we intend to overcome them in the coming years, in order to further support cultural change and spread interdisciplinary innovation within our University.

Science and Technology has played an important role in the production of knowledge and the development of technologies to tackle societal emergencies and challenges. Currently, there is a debate regarding the necessity of placing more emphasis on collaborative research ways due to the complexity of societal problems and concerns. Transdisciplinary research entails interaction between researchers from many scientific fields and non-academic actors, identifying and structuring research problems, and determining how research questions relate to real-world problems. The co-production of knowledge that arises from transdisciplinary research is critical for bridging the gap between science and society and generating scientific and social progress. Research funding agencies play an important role in promoting transdisciplinary research, providing financial resources and supporting researchers and institutions that can contribute to the advancement of science and tackle societal issues. However, this approach has not been adopted at the necessary scale and speed, largely due to the conservatism of these organizations, strongly anchored in the linear model of doing science. The aim of this study is to analyze how the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) – an important government agency dedicated to fostering scientific and technological research and training human resources for research activities in Brazil – has been dealing with the issue of transdisciplinarity in its guidelines and strategic orientations, as well as in its instruments and practices for funding research. Therefore, it is an exploratory and qualitative investigation, which makes use of a bibliographical review, desk research and the realization of a structured panel according to the focus group technique with some CNPq’s civil servants involved in the construction and management of programs and public calls for proposals for research, to seek evidences that allows us a greater understanding of how transdisciplinary research has been treated by CNPq. This group dynamics aimed to promote a structured conversation process for sharing ideas and knowledge in order to create collective intelligence. Through it, the participants debated three structured topics on the theme of the research: 1) the technical staff's understanding of the promotion of transdisciplinary research at the CNPq; 2) their perception about the institutionalization of the theme of transdisciplinary research in institutional capacity-building efforts; and 3) obstacles and challenges to increasing the CNPq's contribution to solving socially relevant problems by promoting transdisciplinary co-production. An analysis of the CNPq’s official planning and strategy documents revealed that transdisciplinarity has been considered as a future driver for the institution, and that fostering it would boost that institution's social impact. However, according to the results of the focus group meeting, although some inter and transdisciplinary research projects have been supported in recent years, few transdisciplinary calls have been launched, indicating that the institution has taken little practical and effective action to promote transdisciplinary co-production.

TU Berlin's new transfer certificate is awarded to students who have dealt with knowledge and technology transfer issues during their regular studies and can demonstrate practical skills. The program is inter- and transdisciplinary and open to all students.

The contribution presents the certificate programme and explains how it contributes to the institutionalization of transdisciplinary approaches, provides more visibility for them and enables the university to fulfil its mission of pursuing science for the benefit of society. The certificate program ties in with the discourse about the Third Mission. According to this, universities not only have the task of conducting teaching and research, but should also fulfil their social responsibility through the transfer of scientific knowledge into application or the co-creative generation of new knowledge in transdisciplinary formats. The Third Mission is thus a problem-solving strategy for complex social challenges, above all the SGDs.

As part of the program, participating students acquire relevant competencies and develop them further. In addition, the program offers students a wide range of networking opportunities. They get to know TU Berlin experts and exchange innovative ideas with committed students from various disciplines. In this way, participating students train to meet the demands of a changing job market in knowledge-intensive fields of work. Transfer activities of outstanding students are promoted and given visibility, e.g. by publishing students works.

The certificate program consists of 18 credit points. It combines elements from the STEM disciplines with elements from the humanities. A special focus is placed on the application dimension. In a basic module, students learn theoretical references, methods and tools and develop their own approaches to solving social challenges. During this process, students are coached by practitioners from different fields and work with established approaches from practice.

As a complement to the professional expertise that students acquire in their fields of study, the certificate program emphasizes the importance of inter- and transdisciplinary approaches in the sciences and beyond in business, politics and society. Based on an analysis of overarching competence requirements following Future Skills, Key Competences, Education for Sustainable Development and Professional Skills, the program guides students to reflect on their own competences and their role as academic professionals in their careers. Openness to all students, not only within the university but also from other universities, contributes to a critical reflection of disciplinary perspectives and promotes an understanding of ethical issues of responsibility. This reflection also has an impact on the university, as students carry new perspectives into their respective subject cultures and thus themselves act as change agents in a transformation process that integrates inter- and transdisciplinary perspectives.

Current research evaluation systems are said to disadvantage interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research (IDR/TDR), leading to lower success rates in grants and publications. This is often due to the divergence of IDR/TDR problem definitions, timeframes, and outputs from typical categories considered in research evaluation. Consequently, researchers face structural barriers in evaluation procedures despite the supportive rhetoric from funding institutions.

To address these challenges, it is crucial for scholars to develop a comprehensive understanding of how inter- and transdisciplinary researchers perceive and navigate the evaluation systems they are embedded in. I contribute to this body of knowledge through an ongoing study of IDR/TDR practices and how they are immersed in funders’ evaluation and monitoring systems in Switzerland. Using the concept of ‘values’, I examine how differing value systems affect the performance of IDR/TDR. Thus, I aim to understand the value systems guiding researchers through inter- and transdisciplinary practices and those promoted by funders and evaluators, as for example through their definitions of concepts such as 'success,' 'impact,' and 'quality'.

With this aim, I carry out an ethnographic study at a national interdisciplinary research centre in Switzerland. I conduct participant observation of everyday research collaborations, as well as interactions between researchers and evaluation and monitoring panels. Employing a qualitative, cultural approach, I further gather data by means of document analysis and semi-structured interviews with principal investigators, directors, and consortium leaders of large, inter- and/or transdisciplinary projects in Switzerland. The collected data will inform the analysis of how inter- and transdisciplinary researchers navigate evaluation systems that may not always accommodate the specific needs of IDR/TDR, how they adapt practices to fit funding structures and which practices are consequently abandoned. I will contrast these insights with findings from research conducted simultaneously among evaluation and monitoring panels, as well as representatives of funding institutions to gain a comprehensive understanding of the design of evaluation for IDR/TDR. Moving forward, I envision facilitating exchange between researchers and funders through focus groups and workshops in future phases of this study.

This research represents a pioneering effort in systematically investigating the dynamic of IDR/TDR practice and evaluation in Switzerland. With this study I aim to contribute to relevant policy discussions on the impacts and funding for IDR/TDR. During my presentation I will share findings that invite exploration into evaluation schemes which consider values and valuations of IDR/TDR based on the lived practices of researchers. I will conclude by arguing that the notion of values can inform our understanding of barriers IDR/TDR face and guide our strategies for overcoming them.

Since starting operations in 2021, the School for Transdisciplinary Studies (STS) at the University of Zurich (UZH) has been encouraging students to explore real-world challenges by going beyond disciplinary boundaries and engaging with practice partners. In this proposal, we will share two examples of our teaching programs, including the upcoming Minor "Digital Skills" set to launch in the fall semester of 2024, and highlight our challenges and strategies in transdisciplinary higher education at UZH.

Teaching Programs Illustrating Transdisciplinary Practices and Approaches

1. Course "Study Week: Sustainable Development and Transformation": Centered around sustainable development, this Study Week engages students in real-world projects through a multi-stakeholder process. Working in interdisciplinary groups with peers and teachers from different disciplines, students create strategies for achieving sustainability goals with guidance from practice partners serving as coaches. Evaluation findings show that participants develop a deeper understanding of sustainability issues and demonstrate enhanced problem-solving skills.

2. Minor "Digital Skills": The 30 ECTS Master's minor program "Digital Skills" designed by the Digital Society Initiative at UZH is the first inter- and transdisciplinary minor, open to all students regardless of their bachelor's background. This program equips students with an interdisciplinary understanding of digitalization, fostering critical reflection on its societal impact. Individualized learning paths enhance digital skills in areas like programming, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity, applied to transdisciplinary projects that integrate ethical, legal, and social knowledge. Evaluation findings from some modules that have already been piloted show that students gain a robust competency in digital technologies and their societal implications.

Strategies to Meet the Challenges of Transdisciplinary Higher Education at UZH

Traditional educational institutions often struggle to adapt their structures and curricula to accommodate transdisciplinary teaching programs, as illustrated by the examples mentioned above. Such programs require collaboration across departments and faculties, which are often in contrast to the traditionally discipline-oriented structures and governance in university education. To address these challenges, UZH has taken significant steps, most notably through the establishment of the School for Transdisciplinary Studies that plays a crucial role in supporting educators in the conception, planning, and implementation of transdisciplinary teaching. In a recent development, the STS has allocated a modest budget to award teaching assignments for selected courses offered by the School. In addition to that, UZH also leverages the UZH Teaching Fund to strategically advance the portfolio of offerings in transdisciplinary education. While this funding serves as a catalyst for the initial stages of implementation, a persistent challenge remains: Traditional discipline-oriented structures lack established mechanisms to seamlessly integrate and sustain these transdisciplinary teaching approaches beyond the initial stages.

Lessons Learned and Conclusion

Inter- and transdisciplinary practices and approaches to learning and teaching are desired, but not easy to implement at a comprehensive university. The University of Zurich acknowledges the hurdles and is actively working to create incentives and opportunities for transdisciplinary teaching. The establishment of the School for Transdisciplinary Studies and the strategic use of the UZH Teaching Fund are crucial steps in overcoming these challenges, although further efforts are required to seamlessly integrate these initiatives into the broader framework of university education. We look forward to sharing our experiences at the ITD24, contributing to a dynamic discussion on the challenges of transdisciplinary higher education in the ever-evolving landscape of academia.