START staff members Mzime Murisa and Sarah Schweizer recently contributed to the article “Transdisciplinarity 101: Short-Term Training in Knowledge CoProduction to Face Global Environmental Change“, part of a special issue of the Journal of Science Policy & Governance focused on Development Policy and Global Change Science to Achieve the Vision of Sustainable Americas.

“The Belmont Forum and the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) organized an online training workshop on transdisciplinary (TD) approaches at the Sustainability, Research, and Innovation Congress (SRI) in 2022. The workshop aimed to create a safe environment for participants to share their impressions of and experiences with transdisciplinary research, using the Americas (IAI mandate) as a launching point for TD approaches globally.  The workshop consisted of two online sessions: Transdisciplinary Approach 101 and Transdisciplinary Case Studies. The objectives of the current workshop report are: 1) to identify the key takeaways regarding common challenges and opportunities for transdisciplinary practice among workshop participants’ experiences, upon which to base recommendations for best practices, e.g., managing power imbalances, conflicting priorities and timeframes, enhancing communication and consolidating contextual awareness.  2) to offer insights to build better strategies for “train the trainers” processes around transdisciplinarity, especially in congresses and short-term events, including using an experience-based approach, offering specific tools, and increasing the participation of non-academic partners. This report encourages the implementation of other training processes by experienced transdisciplinary researchers, practitioners, and funders, in order to build capacities for collaborative approaches in diverse scientific communities.”

Read the full article here: https://www.sciencepolicyjournal.org/article_1038126_jspg220207.html

Co-authors include: Laila Sandroni, Fany Ramos Quispe, Lily House-Peters, Gabriela Alonso-Yanez, Maria Ines Carabajal, Marshalee Valentine, Sarah Schweizer, Mzime Murisa, Natasha Roy, Anne de Vernal, Nicole Arbour, and Anna Stewart-Ibarra