ZiFoNE

Civil society and research for sustainable development: claiming and fostering transdisciplinary.

The project ZiFoNE inquiries into new, transdisciplinary, modes of knowledge production which have gained considerable attention in the field of sustainability research. The ultimate goal of the project is to enhance our understanding of research-society-policy interactions in transdisciplinary research and to grasp the potential impact of such research practices on societal change.

The ZifoNE project adopts a transdisciplinary approach and closely cooperates with the Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony and the Volkswagen Foundation. This ensures that research results continuously feed into the (re)design of the funding programme. Methodologically the project relies on a mix of quantitative and qualitative social science methods such as document analysis, semi-structured interviews, participatory observation, group discussions and surveys.

The ZiFoNE project addresses the following main research questions:

• To which extent and in which ways does the participation of societal actors from shape on the design and on the evolution of transdisciplinary research processes?
• Which types of participation are realised within research projects with which degrees of success?
• How can the success of transdisciplinary research be evaluated? Which methods and quality criteria can be identified to produce a solid and valid evaluation of such projects?
• What is the transformative potential of transdisciplinary research? Is there an added value of transdisciplinary research for the transition towards sustainable development?

I contributed to this research with my doctoral project –The politics of participation in transdisciplinary sustainability research: An analysis of knowledge, values and power at the science-society interface–.

I contributed to this research with my doctoral project –From research to sustainability transitions: Identifying pathways to societal effects–.