Transdisciplinary Project Catalyst
The ENHANCE Transdisciplinary Project Catalyst builds knowledge-creating teams bringing together academics, students and societal stakeholders that engage in transdisciplinary research in the three ENHANCE pilot topics: Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence, Smart and Sustainable Cities and Communities and Climate Action.
The Catalyst is made up ofIt is a series of experiments which seeks to generate the highest levels of community innovation. With the help of Through peer-exchange, the working group of researchers consisting on researchers explores platforms, spaces and arena spaces for transdisciplinary projects and science. Together, they develop a joint understanding of cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral approaches and co-creation with society, share best practices on a local level and initiate new project proposals. The task aim is to get joint understanding and knowledge of methods and formats of transdisciplinary research and co-creation with societal stakeholders, and a European network of researchers as well as a relevant societal stakeholders players in fields such as smart sustainable cities and communities and climate action.
The Transdisciplinary Project Catalyst enhances the involvement of students in transdisciplinary research, contributes to addressing the Sustainable Development GoalDG 11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities” and the Sustainable Development GoalSDG “Climate Action” and fosters new (joint) transdisciplinary research projects between master students, PhD candidates and senior researchers. In long- term, the project hopes to address other grand challenges by upscaling the methodology of the ENHANCE Transdisciplinary Project Catalyst, to develop peer-learning and new project ideas in transdisciplinary science and co-creation with societal stakeholders on a European level.
The participating universities in the Transdisciplinary Project Catalyst
- Chalmers University of Technology
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology
- Politecnico di Milano
- RWTH Aachen University
- Technische Universität Berlin
- Universitat Politècnica de València
- Warsaw University of Technology
What has happened so far
In order to get know each other better and understand each other’s definitions of “transdisciplinarity” the working group made a survey to matchmake the current projects and teaching activities among the seven ENHANCE member partner universities. These methodological approaches, aimed to close the gap between transdisciplinary research and innovation projects and education activities, and will be tested by students and project partners. The reflections of the students and project partners/stakeholders will be the valuable reference to the next steps of the task.
The ENHANCE Transdisciplinary Project Catalyst has been hosted as a workshop in the topic of “Bridging the Transdisciplinary Projects and Education Activities” on 16th December 2021. In this workshop, ENHANCE partners shared several methods and approaches of how to integrate regional transdisciplinary projects into education programmes. In addition, methodological approaches to close the gap between transdisciplinary research innovation projects and education activities have been tested by the students and transdisciplinary project partners. The reflections of the students and project partners/stakeholders are the valuable reference to the next steps of task 4.1.
Project outlook
“Workshop on Smart and Sustainable Cities and Communities” (June 2022) and “Workshop on Climate Action” (August 2022) The project partners member universities will host two additional workshops in 2022. These events will merge the knowledge of urban practitioners, urban scholars, city partners, and students from the ENHANCE university Alliance. They will exchange best practices in bridging education and innovation projects across the seven ENHANCE member universities.
Creation of a «Transdisciplinary blog series for best practices for European projects»
The working group, consisting of professors, researchers and PhD candidates, creates an interdisciplinary community. Individually, they work on several local projects with regional stakeholders. Together, as part of the ENHANCE Transdisciplinary Project Catalyst they analyse how their best practices on a local level can be scaled up on a European level. In total, seven local projects are created and identified, leading to seven blog entries on the ENHANCE blog.
Two new joint project proposals
The seven member partner universities of the ENHANCE Alliance will further deepen the cooperation by co-applying for new research innovation and education projects. which stand upon mutual learning between ENNHANCE partner universities.
Seven PhD projects and 14 Master projects
Besides the new project proposal ideas, the Transdisciplinary project catalyst invites PhDs and Master students to participate in the knowledge exchange and creation. Partners will pair as a team to co-supervise the Master/PhD projects which will bring the critical thinking on transdisciplinary multi-stakeholder’s co-creation process into education.
Final Transdisciplinay Project Catalyst Summit – Spring 2023
The network created within the Transdisciplinary Project Catalyst will be significantly expanded during the Final Catalyst Summit in Belgrade, which that addresses researchers, students and societal stakeholders from all over Europe that engage in transdisciplinary science. in the two pilot topics.
Student-designed exhibition on smart sustainable cities and communities
The Transdisciplinary project catalyst is rounded off by a student-designed exhibition on smart and sustainable cities and communities in autumn 2023 in Warsaw.
Contact persons
Dr. Yu Wang
Senior Rresearcher, Hhead of Rresearch
Departmentt of Architecture and Planning
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
Wang.yu@ntnu.no
Ana-Marija Cvitic
Strategy Officer
ENHANCE Alliance
Departement for International Affairs
Technical University Berlin
Strategy.officer@enhanceuniversity.eu