MARCH 19 — Much of the real-world challenges require multi-sectoral actions. Take climate change. No one country can resolve the issue alone. Solutions can only come when all countries pool their resources together. No one industry can do it single-handed. And no one expert area. It requires multidiscipline.
This explains why it is difficult for the world to reach consensus on the actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change. No wonder COP meetings always end up with stalemate. Countries must deploy diplomacy to engage the differing parties. Since climate change is very much about science, there is a great deal of science diplomacy involved. Science diplomacy calls for special skills.
UCSI University recently established the International Institute of Science Diplomacy and Sustainability, IISDS, to fill the gaps in such skills in science diplomacy. A core area of emphasis by IISDS is to conduct transdisciplinary research, TDR, on real-world challenges including sustainability. Though the implementation of transdisciplinary research (TDR) in Malaysian universities has gained some momentum, several gaps and challenges remain.
Malaysia’s research agenda emphasises the importance of innovation, sustainable development, and collaboration across disciplines. Research funding agencies, such as the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) and Ministry of Science Mosti, are increasingly encouraging collaborative and transdisciplinary approaches. Universities have established centres and programmes focusing on sustainable development, urban resilience, and environmental science, which inherently adopt TDR methodologies. Such centres of excellence, COEs, have existed for some years now.
Malaysian universities are engaging in transdisciplinary projects with international partners through programmes like Horizon Europe and United Nations initiatives. There is strong emphasis on university-industry partnerships, such as through the Public-Private Research Network (PPRN), and community-based research projects aimed at solving local problems in agriculture, health, and education.
But there are gaps in implementation. Academic silos dominate many Malaysian universities, limiting cross-departmental collaboration. Incentive structures, such as promotion criteria, often prioritise disciplinary outputs like journal publications over TDR outputs, such as community impact or policy recommendations.
Academic silos dominate many Malaysian universities, limiting cross-departmental collaboration. — AFP pic
While funding opportunities exist, they are often insufficient for the resource-intensive nature of TDR. The focus is still predominantly on short-term, discipline-specific projects. Although community engagement is emphasised, meaningful involvement of non-academic stakeholders, such as local communities and NGOs, is often ad hoc or superficial. Researchers frequently lack training in systems thinking, participatory methods, and stakeholder engagement, which are crucial for effective TDR.
Mechanisms for evaluating the societal and policy impacts of TDR are underdeveloped, making it harder to demonstrate its value to funders and stakeholders. The hierarchical nature of academia and resistance to change pose significant challenges to adopting TDR approaches.
TDR requires significant time for building trust, integrating diverse perspectives, and coordinating activities, which is challenging within the tight timelines of academic projects. Malaysian universities often face tension between addressing local issues, such as rural development and urban planning, and meeting global research expectations. Effective TDR requires equitable partnerships, but power imbalances between academic and non-academic stakeholders can hinder collaboration. We need policy reforms. Develop national policies that incentivise TDR by integrating it into funding mechanisms.
Also incorporate TDR methodologies into academic programmes and provide professional development for researchers on stakeholder engagement and participatory research methods. Establish transdisciplinary research centres in universities, with dedicated funding and interdisciplinary teams to address complex national and global challenges. IISDS, which hosts many international experts in TDR projects, is a good candidate for High COEs.
Stronger industry-community linkages are critical. Need to strengthen partnerships with industries and communities by creating platforms for knowledge co-creation and ensuring mutual benefits. Encourage public-private partnerships and international collaborations to fund long-term TDR initiatives. Showcasing success is good practice. Highlight successful TDR projects in Malaysia to inspire further adoption and demonstrate their impact on policy and societal well-being. Malaysian universities have made strides in implementing transdisciplinary research, especially in areas aligned with national development goals.
However, addressing structural, cultural, and resource-related barriers is essential to fully realise its potential. By fostering a supportive ecosystem for TDR, Malaysia can better position itself as a leader in addressing complex challenges regionally and globally. By addressing these gaps, transdisciplinary research can more effectively contribute to solving complex global issues, ensuring equitable and sustainable outcomes for all stakeholders.
* The author is an Associate Fellow at the Ungku Aziz Centre for Development Studies (UAC), Universiti Malaya.
** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
