LIRA 2030 Africa: Learning from Practising Transdisciplinary Research for Sustainable Development in African Cities

Abstract

was important for securing the buy-in of stakeholders, especially within the policy community, as was making most of windows of opportunity to amplify and elevate projects' efforts.The complexity of transdisciplinary research, with its iterative characteristics and inclusion of numerous actors, demanded competencies that straddle the scientific, organization, social and political dimensions of such research. Transcending disciplinary boundaries and effectively integrating knowledge from multiple disciplines and diverse stakeholders with different interests all created challenges for the project teams. Managing projects in university systems unaccustomed to working across disciplines, or with other sectors or countries, also created delays, particularly with regards to access to funding. Limited time and resources made it difficult to engage meaningfully in two different countries, and to sustain investments in relationships, partnerships and knowledge generation over the duration of the project. The COVID-19 pandemic presented the greatest challenge to the transdisciplinary process during the programme, particularly affecting joint activities and stakeholder engagement. Zarina Patel at the LIRA transdisciplinary research training in Abidjan,

Advancing transdisciplinary research in the Global South

“…Mid-way through its lifespan, the program undertook a learning study to capture the diverse experiences of practicing TD researchers in different contexts, to identify key enabling factors and challenges for TD research in the African context and the range of results emerging from the LIRA projects, and to understand the role of TD in achieving project objectives. The learning study also assessed the role of program design and activities in building researchers' capacities to undertake TD research (ISC, 2023). This study was based on surveys, inputs by the grantees, and annual self-reflection workshops by each project team.…”

“…Despite significant efforts by LIRA 2030 and other similar initiatives to produce articles, syntheses, and capacity-building activities, current institutional conditions in Africa are still not conducive to TD research. Limited institutional recognition, unyielding disciplinary siloes, inflexible institutional policies and processes, inadequate administrative support for internal grant management, and limited opportunities for long-term TD career development are among factors that still inhibit TD research from becoming a more widespread practice (ISC, 2023).…”