In a knowledge society, research questions, processes, and results cannot be disconnected from everyday practices. Politicians, funding bodies, and society at large increasingly demand of researchers to propose efficient ways to use abstract findings in concrete situations and as a common good. From the very start, implementation strategies should therefore include processes of embedding the research in its social and scientific contexts, recursiveness and negotiation with non-academic actors, and testing the expected impact through “real world” experiments. How exactly to bring research results to fruition, integrate theory and practice, and build truly participative collaborations are key issues of inter- and transdisciplinarity.
A series of annual conferences organized by td-net is dedicated to the practices, methodologies, and epistemologies of inter- and transdisciplinary research and teaching. The first conference focussed on the theme of “Problem Framing” as a decisive and determining initial phase of the research process. At the second conference we addressed issues of “Integration” that cut across the whole research process, from problem framing and problem analysis to the implementation of research results in “the life world.” This recurring phase of the research process is the topic of this year’s conference, to take place in Geneva (September 15–17, 2010). The deadline for abstract submission is May 3, 2010. More details are available on td-net’s website.
