Assessing Institutional Frameworks of Inter- and Transdisciplinary Research and Education

Abstract

This paper presents a concept for analysing the bearing of institutional settings on inter- and transdisciplinary research and education for sustainable development and applies it to a concrete case example. It asks in how far the funding programme requirements and the institutional project arrangements impacted on the research process and project results. The example demonstrates not only the well-known difficulties of inter- and transdisciplinary research, but also steering possibilities. The involvement of co-financing project partners and partners from schools secured the inter- and transdisciplinary project implementation. However, they also influenced the project outcomes according to their organisational interests. They prioritised economic and ecological over social issues, which in consequence limited the sustainability discourse within the project with regard to its breadth and inclusiveness. The paper concludes that the appropriate selection of research and practice partners as well as the sufficient budget, time and professional resources for inter- and transdisciplinary cooperation management, are crucial for the successful implementation of inter- and transdisciplinary research or educational projects for sustainable development.