Inter- and Transdisciplinarity

The CIRM aims to operationalize inter- and transdisciplinarity within its activities. This is achieved through four areas of work:

• encouraging interdisciplinary approaches among members (seed funding program, interdisciplinary events, research seminars)
• promoting the development of transdisciplinary initiatives with society, through our regional partners and with actors from the Jura Vaudois, Vaud Alps, and Valais Alps regions.
• conducting research on inter- and transdisciplinarity, particularly in the study of mountain socio-ecosystems.
• strengthening interdisciplinarity at UNIL, notably by collaborating with other interdisciplinary centers at UNIL

_{Collaborative work can—and should—be enjoyable! This collective intelligence exercise took place during a workshop on inter- and transdisciplinarity, organized by the CIRM on March 15, 2019, at the UNIL campus in Sion.} 

The CIRM aims to operationalize interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity within its activities through four main focus areas:

• Encouraging interdisciplinary approaches among its members (e.g., seed funding program, interdisciplinary events, research seminars).
• Promoting the development of transdisciplinary actions with society, in collaboration with our regional partners and stakeholders in the Jura vaudois, and the Vaudois and Valais Alps.
• Conducting research on interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity, particularly in the study of mountain socio-ecosystems.
• Strengthening interdisciplinarity at UNIL, particularly by collaborating with other interdisciplinary centers within the university.

The CIRM strives to operationalize interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity across various actions and research projects, particularly through:

ValPar.CH (2020-2024) : CIRM participated in the ValPar.CH project, in which around thirty researchers from five Swiss higher education institutions studied the ecological, economic, and social values of ecological infrastructure in Switzerland through an interdisciplinary approach. CIRM specifically examined the importance of researchers’ personal spheres in their efforts to engage in transformative research on nature, as well as the potential impacts of ValPar.CH.

Val d’Hérens 1950/2050 (2021-) : This project has a transdisciplinary focus, as its participatory science approach aims to foster a dialogue between science and society. For the second phase of the project (which focuses on the valley's future evolution), research questions are co-constructed with the local population.

BlueMount : The platform has a transdisciplinary goal, focusing on the interactions between science and politics. BlueMount catalyzes two-way exchanges between scientists and stakeholders in the Vaudois and Valais Alps to facilitate the emergence of science-based solutions.

Seed-funding program : Each year, CIRM funds the start-up of new interdisciplinary projects by encouraging collaboration between researchers from different disciplines, as well as transdisciplinary projects developed in partnership with external institutions.

« Regards sur la montagne » Seminar Series : Organized between 2019 and 2023, this seminar series aimed to strengthen interdisciplinary dialogue among scientists affiliated with CIRM.

Seed Funding Exchange Workshops: CIRM organizes exchange workshops for seed funding project teams, with 1 to 3 workshops per year (since 2019, held at the UNIL campus in Sion, UNIL campus in Dorigny, and online).

Training on Inter- and Transdisciplinary Practices: A day dedicated to enhancing individual and collective skills, as well as addressing the approaches and challenges of interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity (August 26, 2021, UNIL campus in Sion). 

Postdoctoral Exchange Workshop Series: CIRM postdocs exchanged ideas about their respective research in various fields of natural and social sciences and worked together to develop an interdisciplinary project (2019 and 2020, various locations).

Collective Intelligence Workshop Series: Researchers and partners of CIRM developed proposals to promote interdisciplinarity within CIRM and UNIL (March 15 and June 13, 2019, UNIL campus in Sion).

Otero, I., et al. (en relecture). Exploring the personal sphere of transformative change in researchers and stakeholders working on nature. Ecosystems and People

Cristofari, H., et al. (en relecture). A model of mountain socio-ecological systems to catalyze multi-actor collaborations towards sustainability. Earth's Future

Otero, I., et al. (en cours de publication). How can pluralist nature valuation impact Switzerland's biodiversity? Insights from the ValPar.CH project. ValPar.CH Working Paper Series

Reynard, E., et al. (2023). Le CIRM : un centre de recherche interdisciplinaire pour réfléchir aux enjeux des régions de montagne. Les Sports Modernes.

Reynard, E., et al. (2023). Fostering transdisciplinary research through citizen science: The project Val d'Hérens 1950/2050. Mountain Research and Development

Reynard, E., et al. (2020). The Interdisciplinary Centre for Mountain Research (CIRM): Fostering transdisciplinarity for transformation research in mountains. Mountain Research and Development

Otero, I., et al. (2020). Designing inter- and transdisciplinary research on mountains: What place for the unexpected? Mountain Research and Development

Strategic Interdisciplinary Research Centers : The UNIL's institutional effort to promote interdisciplinarity, with interdisciplinary research centers focused on mountain studies, sports, ethics, and life courses.

CIRM Presentation at the UNICA/CAESAR Webinar on Inter- and Transdisciplinary Research Support Programs (October 14, 2020, starting at 26'30'').

Inter- and Transdisciplinary Unit  : This unit, part of the Interfaculty Child Rights Center (CIDE) at the University of Geneva, collaborated with CIRM in analyzing its inter- and transdisciplinary.

Td-net  : The network on transdisciplinarity of the Swiss Academy of Sciences.