Workshop Report
Exploring Transdisciplinarity: A Workshop on Education and Research for Sustainable Development
Date: 16-19 June 2025
Venue: OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Format: In-person
In June 2025, a 3.5-day workshop brought together 21 participants from four Central Asian countries—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan—to explore the power and potential of transdisciplinary education and research in addressing real-world sustainability challenges. Hosted in a collaborative and open atmosphere, the workshop offered both theoretical grounding and hands-on experience, encouraging participants to step beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries.
Transdisciplinarity, as participants discovered, is not defined by a single approach but is united by two key characteristics: the integration of diverse forms of knowledge—academic, experiential, political, and entrepreneurial—and a commitment to developing actionable solutions to complex societal problems.
The workshop opened with an engaging introduction by Dr. Thorsten Philipp (Technische Universitaet Berlin), who laid the conceptual foundation for transdisciplinary education, highliting methods such as Citizen Science, Storytelling, or Entrepreneurship Education
This was followed on the second day by a dynamic session led by Professor Monika Gonser and Professor Jochen Eckart, who introduced transdisciplinary research through the lens of the Living Lab format—an experimental research method that fosters collaboration between academia and other stakeholders to co-design innovative solutions.
The third day shifted from theory to practice, as participants formed interdisciplinary teams to develop their own transdisciplinary research and education projects. Using the living lab methods, they worked intensively to shape ideas that could tackle real-world sustainability issues.
On the final morning, each group presented their project concepts, sparking lively discussion and reflections on how transdisciplinary approaches can be meaningfully embedded into academic practice and create an impact.
Throughout the workshop, participants not only gained valuable insights into the tools and methods of transdisciplinary work, but also experienced firsthand the creative potential of collaboration across disciplines and sectors. The event left many inspired to bring transdisciplinary thinking into their own teaching, research, and institutional strategies for sustainable development.
The workshop was co-organised by SPCE Hub, the Intersectoral School of Governance BW (ISoG BW), and the OSCE Academy in Bishkek. It was generously financed by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with funds from the German Federal Foreign Office.
Organisers
The OSCE Academy in Bishkek is a public foundation that promotes regional cooperation, conflict prevention, and good governance in wider Central Asia through postgraduate education, professional training, and intellectual exchange. The Academy offers MA degree programmes in Economic Governance and Development, Politics and Security, Human Rights and Sustainability as well as BA degree programme in Economics. The Academy provides expert training and conducts demand-driven research. More information: www.osce-academy.net.
The Intersectoral School of Governance Baden-Württemberg (ISoG BW) aims to promote intersectoral cooperation between the state, business and society. In our executive programme ‘Intersectoral Governance’, participants address current issues affecting society: mobility, health, housing and integration. The executive programme is aimed at anyone who works together in cooperative projects across sectoral boundaries.
SPCE Hub is a network for the joint planning and implementation of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary transfer-oriented living lab projects in international teams. SPCE Hub also aims to create the conditions for meaningful and equitable research collaborations.
Trainers
Dr Monika Gonser, sociologist and transdisciplinarity researcher, professor and head of the Intersectoral School of Governance (ISoG BW) in Heilbronn, Germany.
Dr Jochen Eckart, engineer and transport scientist, professor at Hochschule Karlsruhe – University of Applied Sciences, Germany.
Dr Thorsten Philipp, political scientist and communication scholar, expert on transdisciplinary learning in higher education, senior researcher at the Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin), Germany.
The workshop was moderated by Dr Kishim Osmonova (SPCE Hub) and Dr Sebastian Schiek (SPCE Hub).
