ALP

Advancing Leadership Program (ALP)

Program Overview

“The Belmont Forum’s Advancing Leadership Program (ALP) equips leaders from diverse disciplines, sectors, and regions with the skills, tools, and mind-set needed to navigate the complexities of multi-actor transdisciplinary (TD) research and drive sustainable solutions globally.”

To address global environmental change challenges we need international leaders who embrace multiple ways of knowing, are trained in transdisciplinary (TD) research practices, understand the value of collaboration, and recognize that conflicts are opportunities for innovation. Leadership in the TD space represents the future of science, how science is done, how we address complex global environmental challenges; bridging silos across disciplines, communities, and knowledge systems; facilitating equitable partnerships and collaboration globally, with particular emphasis on underrepresented voices, such as actors in the Global South.
However, transdisciplinary research is challenging because it crosses both disciplinary and sectoral boundaries and requires knowledge integration that navigates contradictions, tensions, and synergies that exist in the various roles individuals take on. It requires navigating across diverse knowledge forms and worldviews. It requires looking for solutions beyond individual disciplines, identifying biases, understanding the views of others, and examining a problem from multiple perspectives.

Belmont Forum’s Role in TD Leadership

• An established a reputation for delivering impactful, societally relevant research.
• Capacity to facilitate international engagement by building on its extensive global initiatives and collaborative efforts.
• Serves as a dynamic and fertile training ground for TD research and experimentation.
• Fosters engagement with ongoing Collaborative Research Actions (CRAs).
• Possesses extensive experience and international networks and partnerships within a global space.
• A key player in global science funding and multilateral collaboration—including fostering North–South partnerships

Despite the successes of TD work, challenges remain in fostering authentic collaboration with communities and effectively integrating diverse perspectives, values, and cultures. Traditional academic training often lacks the skills required for TD work, such as trust- building, navigating power dynamics, and cross-cultural communication. To address this gap, the Belmont Forum led by its members: the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI); the National Science Foundation (US); and the Thailand TSRI, are launching the Advancing Leadership Program (ALP).

“Bringing diverse people together requires effort, along with a unique set of skills and mind-set, to bridge different perspectives, establish common ground, and ensure productive and sustainable collaboration.”

Provisional ALP Goals:

1. Enhance the TD leadership skills, tools and mind-set needed to lead and collaboratively work as a multi-actor team.
2. Cultivate a global community of practice by advancing transdisciplinary knowledge and building a diverse, interconnected network of societal actors to facilitate knowledge sharing, continuous learning, and innovative solutions for sustainability challenges.
3. Develop practical learning experiences within the Belmont Forum community.
4. Cultivate equitable partnerships that will amplify current training opportunities provided by various organizations to provide a suite of skills.

Core Values of the ALP

Bridging Knowledge Systems
The program emphasizes the integration of diverse knowledge systems, including those of local communities, into research
processes. This ensures that solutions are not just theoretically sound but also culturally and contextually relevant.

Empowering Underrepresented Voices
By training leaders from diverse sectors, including local communities, the program supports equity in decision-making and ensures that historically marginalized voices have a seat at the table in shaping sustainability initiatives.

Empowering Boundary-Spanning Change-makers
The program focuses on championing those that are actively connecting disciplines, cultures, and sectors; demonstrating a commitment to co-creation of solutions, promoting fairness and sharing the ownership of addressing sustainability challenges.

Capacity Building for Practical Outcomes
The ALP’s curriculum will be designed to equip participants with practical skills to handle the real-world complexities of TD research. This translates into more impactful, equitable, and sustainable outcomes that are grounded in collaboration.

As challenges grow more complex, TD leaders will need to develop and refine skills that allow them to navigate uncertainty, manage diverse teams, and work effectively across boundaries. Simply reading a handbook, guide, peer-reviewed article, position paper, or report on how to conduct authentic, ethical, and just TD research is not sufficient. Instead, effectively achieving genuine collaboration, leadership mind-set, values and skills requires intentional efforts through training and capacity-building. These skills require continuous use, testing, and refinement. This includes fostering systems thinking, anticipation (foresighting, horizon scanning), creative problem-solving, and adaptive leadership skills that are authentic. Skills that are crucial for addressing evolving and unpredictable global challenges, and that will help influence evidence-informed decision making.

Advancing Leadership Program (ALP): Co-produced by the community, for the community

Scoping
Initially, the Belmont Forum conducted scoping activities in 2021 and 2023, engaging in discussions with like-minded institutions pursuing similar goals to identify gaps and potential partnerships across the TD research landscape. These virtual scoping sessions and institutional dialogues revealed a clear and consistent demand for training and workshops focused on transdisciplinary research, networking, fundraising, science-policy engagement, and science communication. The insights gathered highlight areas where the Belmont Forum is uniquely positioned to add significant value, particularly within the international science-policy space.

World Tour
Building on the initial findings, the ALP embarked on a global co-design process through a series of workshops collectively referred to as a “World Tour.” Led by Inclusive Innovation, a group of facilitators with 10 years of experience facilitating leadership initiatives in the Global South, these sessions explored the needs of TD researchers and practitioners tackling society’s most urgent challenges.

The process began with the SPARK Workshop at the SRI 2024 Congress in Helsinki, Finland, engaging researchers, policymakers, and diplomats. Insights from this session guided workshops in Ayutthaya, Thailand, which focused on science policy, and Pretoria, South Africa, involving Africa Science Leadership Programme fellows. Across all three workshops, participants shared personal experiences and regional perspectives, using scenario planning to envision future challenges and identify essential skills for authentic collaboration. Activities were designed to uncover the current TD research landscape, its challenges, and the skill sets needed to navigate complex and emerging issues. Echoing the outcomes of the scoping activities, participants highlighted the need for support in key areas such as communication, networking, facilitation, strategic ‘soft’ skills, adaptability, foresight, and the ability to bridge science, policy, and community engagement. In continuing the global co-creation process, an upcoming in-person workshop will bring together participants from Latin America and the Caribbean at the IAI Science, Technology, and Policy (STeP) Fellowship Conference in Chile. Feedback from the workshops will inform the iterative development of the ALP curriculum, ensuring it meets the needs of TD leaders across disciplines, sectors, and regions.

“The Belmont Forum’s Advancing Leadership Program is a catalyst for this next evolution of science and new model of leadership.”

Open to professionals at all career stages from both the Global South and North, the Belmont Forum’s ALP will enhance competencies in TD sustainability research, leadership, collaboration, and communication, enabling participants to engage confidently in the global TD research landscape. This inclusive, dynamic approach positions the ALP as a transformative force for fostering collaboration and advancing solutions to global challenges.

Launch of the Advancing Leadership Program: SRI Congress 2025 in Chicago, USA
Be A TD Champion Partner

Contact:

Anne-Teresa Birthwright
Advancing Leadership Program Lead
anne-teresa.birthwright@belmontforum.org
For more information contact info@belmontforum.org, insert “Leadership” in the subject line or sign up our mailing list.