ABSTRACT
The conclusion presents a summary of the various design features of successful collective action for transdisciplinary research proposed in the book, ranging from project level processes of co-management, co-design, and social learning to the integration of transdisciplinary partnerships in flexible boundary-crossing networks. The analysis of these design principles builds upon the experience gained in different types of transdisciplinary research that have emerged in response to the urgent sustainability challenges. These different types have been designated under various labels such as partnership research, community science, participatory action research, mode 2 science and team science, among others. They illustrate not only the broad scope of practices under the umbrella of “transdisciplinary research,” but also the commonalities in relation to the implementation of the design principles. However, further development and consolidation of transdisciplinary research practices as a core component of the overall science fabric will only be possible by involving both academic researchers and the broad array of different societal actors in this endeavor. In short, the building of larger nested polycentric institutional architectures for transdisciplinary research must itself be a co-produced outcome of the designing, testing and evaluation of new modes of organization of research by societal actors and researchers alike.
