From 24 to 26 June, the annual meeting of the Research Cluster “Socio-Ecological Transformation” of the Heinrich Böll Foundation will take place in Münster under the title “Interdisciplinarity in Transformation Research” in cooperation with ZIN. The meeting addresses the question of how interdisciplinary collaboration can foster socio-ecological transformation. After all, transformation can only succeed if perspectives from different—and often highly heterogeneous—academic disciplines are brought together. At the same time, such collaboration can give rise to tensions and challenges that need to be addressed constructively.

Those interested are warmly invited to a fishbowl discussion on experiences with interdisciplinary collaboration in sustainability research on 25 June from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The fishbowl format is designed to actively involve the audience and their contributions, creating a space for sharing experiences between early-career and more experienced researchers. Among other guests, there will be three ZIN scholars participating: Prof. Dr. Antonia Graf (Junior Professor of Global Environmental Governance, Institute of Political Science, University of Münster), Dr. Daniela Pastoors (Postdoctoral Researcher at ZIN and Innovation Hub Management “Socio-Ecological Sustainability” at ULYSSEUS, University of Münster), and Jessica Hoffmann (Institute of Sociology, University of Münster). The fishbowl discussion will take place in Room 101 at GraSP (Graduate School for Politics, 1st floor, Institute of Political Science, Scharnhorststr. 100). No registration is required.

In addition, we are offering a workshop on inter- and transdisciplinary sustainability research which is specifically aimed at doctoral researchers. During this three-hour workshop, participants will learn about and distinguish between different modes of research (disciplinary, multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary). Focusing on inter- and transdisciplinary sustainability research, they will actively explore the challenges and opportunities associated with these approaches. Through a joint exploration of facilitation formats such as the Sustainability Methods Wiki and the card set “Designing Interdisciplinarity,” participants will gain access to established methods, tools, and approaches for addressing challenges in interdisciplinary collaboration. The workshop will be led by Dr. Britta Achsel (Research Fellow for Methods of Transformation Research, Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy & Young Academy for Sustainability Research, University of Freiburg). It will take place on 25 June from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., also in Room 101 at GraSP (see above).

There are still a few places available for the workshop! Participation is free of charge, but registration is required by 24 June. Please register by email at j.binder@uni-muenster.de.