The transition to a regenerative circular society presents a fundamental challenge to the way we live, work and design our future. Going beyond the SDGs to co-creating regenerative communities and systems requires “shifting minds and hearts” (Gibbons 2020). Central to this is the need to focus on how we collaborate for transdisciplinary learning across public, private, human and non-human worlds. A primary barrier to implementing a fully-realized regenerative and circular economy is the difficulty in fostering meaningful spaces for learning across traditionally siloed disciplines and sectors. However, this challenge presents a critical opportunity for higher education institutions to pioneer innovative approaches to supporting complex problem-solving through transdisciplinary teaching and learning networks.
Transdisciplinarity, defined as applied interdisciplinary approaches that transcend traditional academic boundaries to address real-world problems (Thompson Klein, 2014) offers a powerful framework for bridging the public-private divide. Higher education institutions are uniquely positioned to develop cross-sector transdisciplinary networks that employ applied design pedagogies to facilitate creative and impactful collaborations. These networks can serve as laboratories for developing shared practices where students, citizens, and professionals learn to work together effectively on complex sustainability challenges.
This presentation explores these concepts through an international case study at the University of Twente, where faculty and students from four institutions engaged in an innovative study abroad initiative. Participants explored circular economy principles by learning "Responsible Futuring," a design methodology that facilitated creative collaboration among diverse stakeholders. This experience demonstrated how design methodologies can serve as shared languages that enable meaningful cross-sector dialogue and action. We argue that by investing in these cross-sector educational initiatives, higher education institutions can play a crucial role in developing the collaborative capacity necessary to transition to a regenerative and circular society while simultaneously advancing innovative pedagogical approaches that prepare students for the complex challenges of the twenty-first century.