Combining the concepts of transdisciplinarity and partnership in research for sustainable development (original) (raw)

The present article elaborates on the specific approach to and practice of research for sustainable development as conceptualised and implemented by the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) North-South. At the core is the overarching understanding of sustainable development as a normative concept demanding goal-oriented collaboration among disciplines as well as co-production of knowledge at the interface of scientific communities and society. Transdisciplinarity, research partnerships, and a recursive research approach are necessary pillars in the quest to bridge disciplines and paradigms, as well as science and society in sustainability-oriented research. We argue that research for sustainable development faces major conceptual challenges related to system definition, linking to disciplinary discourses and progress, and bridging contextuality and generalisation, alongside operational challenges of conflicting reference systems, conflicting basic objectives, and complex science-society interfaces.

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