Collaborating on Social Breakthroughs

Transdisciplinary work is essential for addressing social challenges. Researchers, policymakers, professionals, and citizens work together to solve complex issues. Think of transitions in energy, health, food, mobility, and circular economy. Transdisciplinary work transcends the boundaries of scientific disciplines and explicitly involves non-academic knowledge and perspectives. NECTR aims to strengthen this way of working by bundling knowledge, developing skills, and facilitating sustainable partnerships.

From Fragmentation to Cohesion

Although there is much experience with transdisciplinary work in the Netherlands, knowledge is currently spread across many sectors and organizations. NECTR brings this expertise together and makes it more visible and accessible so that we can learn more from each other and collaborate more impactfully.

NWO encourages collaboration between and within disciplines, and between different forms of research. Social parties, citizens, and knowledge users are important partners. We are building a system in which collaboration is natural and easy, and in which we support research networks in the long term. NECTR provides the network to tackle this for transdisciplinary collaboration nationally.

Objectives of NECTR

NECTR focuses primarily on four core activities:

• Developing and disseminating knowledge about transdisciplinary work
• Promoting competency development and skills
• Embedding transdisciplinary methods in academic and professional fields
• Facilitating transdisciplinary partnerships between different organizations

Initiators

NECTR is an initiative of NWO, EWUU alliance (TU/e, WUR, UU, UMC Utrecht), TNO, DRIFT for transition, Climate Research Initiative Netherlands (KIN), Rathenau Institute, Athena - Research and Education Institute, The Green Brain, Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), Delft University of Technology, Convergence (TU Delft-Erasmus MC-EUR)

More Information

See the NECTR website for more information about NECTR.