Interactive course on inter and transdisciplinary research by WIMEK & Wageningen Global Sustainability Programme

Scope

Urgent and complex environmental and sustainability challenges often require not only scientific insights but also the involvement of those who can implement solutions or are directly affected by the changes. Addressing these challenges calls for researchers requires researchers to transcend their disciplinary knowledge and seek collaboration and knowledge integration both among different academic disciplines (interdisciplinary) and with people outside academia (transdisciplinary).
However, implementing inter- and transdisciplinary research approaches is neither simple nor straightforward. It demands new skills and competencies, as well as a rethinking of how research is designed, who is involved, and how both societal and scientific outcomes are envisioned and achieved. As you begin to adopt an inter- or transdisciplinary approach, key questions arise:  Which factors and people influence and are influenced by your research process? How do you plan, reflect, and adapt your research journey?

This interactive course is designed to equip participants with foundational concepts, practical tools, and hands-on experiences to apply inter- and transdisciplinary approaches in their own research. The course is structured around five core themes that guide participants in exploring the essential dimensions of such research: the individual, collaboration, outcomes, the research process, and reflection.

Learning goals

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
• Explain and critically discuss the conceptual foundations of interdisciplinary (ID) and transdisciplinary (TD) research, with a focus on five core themes: the individual, collaboration, outcomes, process, and reflection.
• Critically engage with and reflect on the practical application of these five themes. 
• Contextualize and integrate ID and TD concepts, methods, and techniques—addressing the individual, collaboration, outcomes, processes, and reflective themes—within their own research contexts.

Principal themes

The course is structure around five core themes and explores interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research approaches through theory, practical considerations, tools, and real-world cases, ensuring that learning is both grounded in experience and applicable to their own research.
During the course, we focus on the following five themes:

•    The Individual
Focuses on positionality, personal competencies, and the unique perspectives each researcher brings. Participants will reflect on their own role and readiness in collaborative research.
•    Collaboration
Explores the why, who, and how of working with people from diverse backgrounds. Emphasis is placed on building and engaging with inclusive teams and navigating disciplinary boundaries.
•    Outcomes
Encourages envisioning multiple outcomes that reflect the needs of different stakeholders. It supports designing research that is socially relevant and critically-reflects on the impact desired. 
•    Process
Covers process design, collaborative methods, and data integration. This theme provides tools for structuring research and managing complexity.
•    Reflection
Introduces iterative reflection methods for learning and adapting throughout the research process enabling continuous improvement and deeper understanding.

Programme

Each day of the course combines conceptual background, practical tools, experiential learning, and exercises designed to help participants apply inter- and transdisciplinary approaches to their own research. The participants will work on real-life cases that are embedded throughout the course to provide hands-on experience with the complexities of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration. During the course, participants will use a guidebook template to record and develop their own personal guide for navigating inter- and transdisciplinary research. After the course, participants will have opportunities to reconnect and discuss how they have applied the approaches in practice, including challenges and insights gained.

Day 1 –  The Individual
•    Introduction to course themes
•    Using theory to reflect on why interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary approaches are relevant in my research
•    Considering own positionality in collaborative process

Day 2  –  From Individual to Collaboration 
•    Developing skills and competencies related to inter- and transdisciplinary work including active listening and perspective taking
•    Exploring how to develop an inter- and transdisciplinary community: opportunities and challenges
•    Balancing ideal and practical limits when selecting collaboration forms

Day 3 – From Collaboration to Outcomes
•    Reflecting on ethics of inclusion and exclusion; implications for trust and outcomes
•    Experiencing and reflecting on more-than-human vision creation of outcomes 

Day 4 – From Outcomes to Process
•    Visioning to explore different potential outcomes
•    Unpacking and specifying outcomes of inter- and transdisciplinary research
•    Exploring forms of collaborative processes

Day 5 – Process
•    Designing inter- and transdisciplinary processes: concepts and practical considerations
•    Developing tools and strategies for structuring collaborative moments

Day 6 – Reflection
•    Exploring forms and purposes of different modes of reflection
•    Practicing and designing reflection moments for continuous learning
•    Sharing case outcomes and reflecting on the in-course collaborative research process

General information

Registration requirements

This is an interactive course that relies on your active participation. To ensure a meaningful learning experience for everyone, participants are expected to attend all sessions in full for the entire duration of the course. The course runs from Wednesday 27th till Friday 29th of May & Monday 1st till Wednesday 3rd of June, 2026.
In order to participate, we ask you to include a short motivation (max 750 words) in your course registration where you address the following three questions:

•    What is your understanding of inter- and transdisciplinary research?
•    Why are inter- or transdisciplinary concepts important for your research?
•    In what ways can you contribute to the learning environment in the course (e.g. skills, experience, insights)?
Your motivation statement gives us insight into your enthusiasm and goals, and will help us determine if the course is the right fit for you before confirming your admission. If the number of registrations exceeds the course capacity, motivation statements will also be used to select participants. You will be notified of your acceptance no later than two weeks after the registration deadline.

You can register for the course here. 

Register before 27 January to qualify for the early bird fee. Afterwards regular registration fees apply. For the fees, see the table below. 

Mandatory required knowledge

Participants should have a basic understanding of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary concepts, and a clear motivation to apply these approaches in their current or future work.

Group size
Maximum: 24 participants

Credit points

2 ECTS

Fees

Fee includes tea, coffee, lunch during the course, and one dinner. The fee does not include accommodation.

In case you need to find a place to stay we recommend you to look at Airnbnb, booking.com or https://www.shortstaywageningen.nl. Alternatively you can have a look at hotel De Wageningsche Berg or WICC. If you prefer to stay at a campsite you can have a look at de Wielerbaan or Quadenoord. When searching in Wageningen does not provide you with any options, try Bennekom, Ede, Rhenen or Renkum.

Note:
For people from outside of WUR: If you need an invoice to complete your payment, please send an email to wimek@wur.nl, including ALL relevant details that should be mentioned on the invoice (e.g., purchase order no., specific addresses, attendees, etc.).

The Early-Bird policy is such that the moment of REGISTRATION (and not payment) is leading for determining what fee that applies to you.

Please make sure that your payment is arranged within two weeks after your participation has been confirmed, according to the instructions stated in the confirmation email. Your registration is only completed once we have received your payment.

It is the participant's responsibility to make sure that they (or their secretary) complete the payment correctly and in time.

Cancellation conditions

Up to 8 (eight) weeks prior to the start of the course, cancellation is free of charge.

Up to 4 (four) weeks prior to the start of the course, a fee of 50% of the full costs will be charged.

In case of cancellation within four weeks prior to the start of the course, a fee of 100% of the full costs will be charged.

If you do not show at all, a fee of 100% of the full costs and a fine of 100 EUR will be charged.

Note: If you would like to cancel your registration, ALWAYS inform us.

Also note that when there are not enough participants, we can cancel the course. We will inform you if this is the case a week after the early bird deadline. Please take this into account when arranging your trip to the course (i.e. check the re-imbursement policies).