Summer School 2025

Course description

Integration is an integral part of inter- and transdisciplinary research. It implies the co-production and synthesis towards a problem and its potential solutions. It is a fundamental process when collaborating across disciplines and thematic fields and working at the interface between science, policy and practice. Drawing on empirical cases students work in a hands-on experiential setting.

Expected learning outcomes

Meeting environmental and societal challenges requires responses that integrate a wide range of perspectives from different disciplines (i.e. interdisciplinary integration), as well as from science, policy and practice (i.e. transdisciplinary integration).

Integration, in this context, is an integral part of inter- and transdisciplinary research. It implies the co-production and synthesis of different knowledges, perspectives, insights, interests, ex­pectations and collaborative approaches towards a problem and its potential solutions. It is a fundamental process in research when collaborating across scientific disciplines (e.g., natural and social sciences) and thematic fields (e.g., policy analysis) and working at the interface between science, policy and practice. The summer school offers a hands-on experiental setting together with empirical cases situated at that interface.  

At the end of the summer school students are able to:

• Understand and analyse different theories, concepts, methods and tools of integration and assess their strenghts and weaknesses.
• Apply methods and tools of integration to selected case studies and critically reflect on their potentials and limitations.
• Communicate and collaborate with others in different contexts and forms, bringing in own viewpoints, recognising others, and synthesising ideas.

Learning Opportunity Structure

The summer school focuses on:

• Theories and concepts of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary integration (i.e. process, output, one-sided, mutual) across different scientific communities (science of team science, integration and implementation science, science and technology studies, transformative research).
• Dimensions (i.e. strategic, cognitive, social, emotional, spatial, temporal) and principles of inte­gration (i.e. design integrative process, form diverse group, forge robust social bonds, create boundary objects, etc.).
• Methods and tools of integration (e.g. Theory of Change; nomadic concepts, common concep­tual framework, joint research questions, boundary objects, etc.) and researchers' diverse roles at the interface between science, policy and practice.

To approach these topics students will work on two case studies to gain hands-on experience on inter- and transdisciplinary integration. Cases lie at the interface between science, policy and practice targeting interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary integration, for example: innova­tive resource-oriented water and sanitation systems (WINGS), sustainable water management (NRP61), transformation of pesticide governance (TRAPEGO), integrated assessment models for sustainable development (DIAMOND), coordinated interactions among partners in the energy system (CoSi). Lecturers include our CSTS Group members, PD Dr Bianca Vienni-Baptista, Dr Stephanie Briers, and PhD candidate Konstandy Ramowtowski-Kula.

Further information

LANGUAGE: English

PLACES AVAILABLE: limited to 25

TEACHING PERIOD: Monday 18 August, 2025 - Friday 22 August, 2025

APPLICATION PERIOD:  1 March 2025 - 1 May 2025

FORM OF PARTICIPATION: Onsite

DURATION: 5 days

ESTIMATED EFFORT: 30 hours

ECTS Credits: 2

Students will have the opportunity to present their current research interests/work in an interactive activity. Details will be shared upon confirmation of participation.

Lecturers:

PD Dr Bianca Vienni-Baptista (CSTS Group Lead, ETH Zurich, link to profile)

Dr Sabine Hoffmann (ITD Group Lead, Eawag – external page link to profile)

Contributors:

Dr Stephanie Briers (CSTS, TdLab, ETH Zurich – link to profile)

MSc. Konstanty Ramotowski (CSTS, TdLab, ETH Zurich - link to profile)

MSc. Hanna Salomon (ITD Group, Eawag)

Teaching Assistant:

Paula Winkler (CSTS, TdLab, ETH Zurich)

How to enroll

Registration until 1 May 2025 with a short CV (max. 2 pages) and a motivation letter (1 page). The selection will take place shortly afterward. Applicants will be informed by 31 May 2025 about the outcome.  

For ENHANCE Alliance students:

Please register external page here

For ETH and students from other universities (not ENHANCE members)

Please register here

Please contact PD Dr Bianca Vienni-Baptista in case of any questions: bianca.vienni@usys.ethz.ch