Three transdisciplinary research projects selected for Pathways to Sustainability Award
Winner will be chosen at conference
NATURVATION, Smart Solar Charging, and SustaIndus have been selected as the three best transdisciplinary research projects at Utrecht University. One of these three projects will win the Pathways to Sustainability Award by public vote at the Pathways to Sustainability conference on 5 March. The Pathways to Sustainability Award will be granted to the best transdisciplinary research project that is combining the strengths of Utrecht University research with the agendas of external stakeholders for the benefit of a sustainable future for all.
Out of the 18 nominations for the Pathways to Sustainability Award a jury selected the top three, which was approved by the programme board of Pathways to Sustainability. According to the jury, the 18 nominations reflect the rich practices of transdisciplinarity at Utrecht University.
The jury was deeply impressed with the many research projects that are successfully combining the strengths of Utrecht University research with the agendas of external stakeholders and have a substantial societal impact. Given the great variety of projects, both research and education, from global to regional, it was not easy for the jury to compare all these nominations within one framework and one set of criteria. However, there was no doubt about choosing the top three initiatives among the jury members.
Top three
Based on the assessment criteria of engagement across multiple disciplines, co-creation with stakeholders, addressing a sustainability challenge and societal impacts of projects, the following 3 projects received the highest scores from the jury:
- Naturvation (Project leader: Prof Harriet Bulkeley)
- Smart Solar Charging (Project leader: Dr Carolien van Hemel)
- SustaIndus: Science to support the SDGs and sustainable water management in the transboundary Indus river basin (Project leader: Prof Walter Immerzeel)
Great variety
The top three reflects the great variety of projects: one project focussing mainly on the Utrecht region, a second one that integrated an Urban-Regional Innovation Partnership into a European research project and a third one developing sustainable pathways for a river basin in the Global South. All three projects are highly interdisciplinary, involved stakeholders intensively in co-creating the agenda and the activities and had or are expected to have great societal impact.