Transdisciplinary research on the road to 2030

This collaborative paper explores the emerging field of transdisciplinary research from different researcher perspectives, with the goal of raising critical questions as the forms of knowledge co-production needed towards... [ view full abstract ]

This collaborative paper explores the emerging field of transdisciplinary research from different researcher perspectives, with the goal of raising critical questions as the forms of knowledge co-production needed towards meeting the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. With transdisciplinary research promising to transcend disciplinary boundaries through research collaboration between actors in academia, business, government and civil society, there are high expectations that such collaboration can address deep rooted sustainability challenges. However, little work has been carried out into exploring the tensions and dilemmas of transdisciplinary research with actors outside of academia, and the practical and ethical challenges of realising such research 'in the field.' Employing an innovative dialogical and narrative approach to highlight the multi-stranded perspectives needed for addressing complex sustainability challenges, this paper weaves theory and practice through co-author narratives in answering the following questions: (1) What are the underlying assumptions involved in transdisciplinary research and how does this affect the research process? (2) For whom is transdisciplinary research? and (3) How can transdisciplinary research lead to enhanced sustainability outcomes in the context of the 2030 agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals? The paper demonstrates the different epistemological assumptions and characteristics of actors involved in transdisciplinary research, and the advantages of being explicit about how these assumptions influence research.