The Belmont Forum is happy to share a new report, “Transdisciplinary Coordination: Building Bridges for the Future of Knowledge Co-production.” This report, born from a workshop (June 2024) co-hosted by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) in partnership with the Belmont Forum, the Global Development Network (GDN), and Inclusive Innovation (II), with support from the US National Science Foundation (NSF), highlights the role of coordination in transdisciplinary (TD) research, especially in the Global South. It is a real roadmap for enhancing collaboration and impact.
Why Transdisciplinary Coordination Matters: A Belmont Forum Perspective
Our commitment to advancing global environmental change research led us to assess coordination practices in our Collaborative Research Actions (CRAs). In 2023, we found a need to improve how teams meet our requirements and conduct socially and ethically responsible research. This report directly addresses that need, demonstrating how Belmont Forum projects, which demand a high level of coordination for effectiveness, can achieve even greater impact.
Since the Belmont Forum’s establishment in 2009, we have been serving as an international platform to align actions among major funders of environmental change research and international science councils. Our core mission is to support international transdisciplinary (TD) research, providing knowledge for understanding, mitigating, and adapting to global environmental change. We achieve this by coordinating resources and facilitating joint funding calls for TD research projects through our Collaborative Research Actions (CRAs).
Over 14 years, we have launched more than 21 CRAs, resulting in over 180 projects involving more than 4000 academic and 1600 non-academic actors. The IAI, a key partner in this report, currently hosts the Belmont Forum directorate, showcasing our strong collaborative efforts. Our funding mechanism was even used as a case study of TD coordination during the workshop itself, highlighting the practical application of these principles.
Key Goals for Enhancing TD Coordination
The report outlines three core goals to enhance TD coordination, all vital for the impactful, collaborative research the Belmont Forum champions:
- Shift Culture: This involves transforming how science is conducted and perceived, moving towards actual change. It includes strengthening TD communities, promoting multicultural practice, encouraging multilingual activities, empowering communities as changemakers, and sharing success stories.
- Transform Funding: The aim here is to increase democratic engagement and align research with pressing societal problems by diversifying, improving, and increasing funding for TD research. Actions include engaging funders, updating monitoring and evaluation frameworks, extending research and reporting guidelines, exploring new funding mechanisms, and enhancing program management.
- Build Capacity: This focuses on developing specialized skills essential for TD research, such as facilitation, communication, and a focus on impact. Key actions include training for impact, developing facilitation skills, promoting practice exchange, embracing open science, fostering communication, and preparing for conflict.
The Belmont Forum remains dedicated to fostering effective transdisciplinary research. This report delivers invaluable insights and actionable steps to strengthen coordination, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable future built on shared knowledge.
Read the full report here.