From 22 to 27 June 2025, twenty-two aspiring researchers gathered in Brandenburg for the 4th International Summer School on Transdisciplinary Methods—an Erasmus+ Blended Intensive
Learning Programme (BIP) designed to bridge disciplines, institutions and societal actors. Hosted by the Center for Technology and Society (ZTG) at TU Berlin in cooperation with the Universitat
Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm), the week-long event combined rigorous online preparation with hands-on, place-based learning in rural Germany.
A blended journey to transdisciplinarity
In the weeks leading up to the June gathering, participants completed three online modules that laid the theoretical and methodological groundwork for transdisciplinary research:
- Get to know each other and introduction to inter- and transdisciplinarity
- Dealing with uncertainties in transdisciplinary problem-solving: Introduction to methods from future studies
- Sustainability Transition and Creative Methods for Collaboration
These virtual sessions ensured every student arrived in Brandenburg with a shared vocabulary—and a lively curiosity about putting this into practice.
Immersion in the Brandenburg case study
Over six days, the group turned theory into action by collaborating on small research teams focused on challenges faced by rural communities in Brandenburg. Drawing on local data and on-site visits, students used transdisciplinary methods such as actor mapping, creating personas, risk and equitymatrix and 3 types of knowledge, to shape pilot research. Creativity methods like LEGO Serious play and reflecting past, present and future with photo cards helped to broaden the perspective on the research problem they were dealing with. Throughout the week, participants formed four mixed teams, each investigating a core theme central to our Case Study: attracting and nurturing local initiatives, empowering communities in rural areas towards self-sufficiency, strengthening the organic food supply–demand nexus between Brandenburg and Berlin, and fostering intergenerational knowledge exchange in rural areas driven by universities. These thematic strands wove together in workshops, field visits and prototyping sessions.
Students and teachers also engaged in forest strolls around the area that helped everyone relax and really connect.
Visits included:
- Gut Kerkow organic farm: Inspired by the managers of the agricultural part of the farm and the butchers shop, teams explored sustainable agriculture practices and discussed ways to co-design research that benefits both scientists and practitioners.
- Haus mit Zukunft (“House with a Future”) in Angermünde: This community center—run by a local cooperative—served as a living lab for creating a creative community and fostering local talent.
- Voices from Eberswalde: Special input from three professors at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE) enriched the curriculum, offering case examples of long-term transdisciplinary partnerships in forestry, regional planning and environmental education. Their guest lectures helped students reflect on the challenges of sustaining collaboration beyond the summer school.
Looking ahead
The team and its partners will continue the Erasmus+ BIP summer school in 2026 in Sweden and again in 2027 in Spain. Each new location promises fresh case studies and new opportunities for students to co-create research that matters.