Td Summer School 2019

During the Td Training Module we will provide insights into historical, political and theoretical foundations of transdisciplinary research that have emerged in different communities and world regions and create a space to gain practical experiences in designing transdisciplinary research processes. We will explore different methodologies and frameworks, principles and design elements of transdisciplinary research and get an overview of methods for collaborative, transdisciplinary research. During the two days, we will elaborate transdisciplinary case study designs in small groups. The case study designs will be developed in 20 steps that will guide you from the framing of a problem to the development of implementation strategies of results.

It is our overall objective to create strong links to your fields of activities. Therefore we will jointly select the cases based on suggestions from the participants. A case could be a problem field that your current research or professional activity is related to, and which you want to further develop towards a transdisciplinary approach. Alternatively, it could be an issue that you are planning to work on in the future. By jointly developing the transdisciplinary case study design, you will have the chance to apply principles, design elements and methods that will be introduced during the first days of the Td Training Module. Working together in groups with scientists and practitioners will allow you to experience the different perspectives on cases in transdisciplinary research processes and to discuss diverse roles, tasks and responsibilities of involved persons.

Participation fee for the Td Summer School Kazbegi is 300 €. The fee covers:

• Tuition
• Opening evening event
• Snacks and coffee during the sessions
• Farewell Dinner
• Excursion
• Transportation between Tbilisi and Kazbegi

Due to limitation of participants, we ask you to send us your CV, motivation and an outline of your current activities/research until April 20, 2019 to td_training@leuphana.de

Deadline: April 20, 2019
Confirmation: April 27, 2019
Registration fee: May 4, 2019

All participants will be issued a certificate for 3 ECTS.

The organizers offer full scholarships to selected participants from the Caucasus Countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Russian Federation, Turkey). Based on the needs of the selected participants, the scholarships can cover the registration fee or/and travel, accommodation in shared rooms and meals. These scholarships are provided by the project CaucaSusT – Transdisciplinarity for Sustainable Tourism Development in the Caucasus Region, funded by the Austrian Integration Program for Higher Education and Research Development (APPEAR). Researchers, post-graduate students with research experiences and practitioners (e.g. civil society organizations; administrative bodies; or SMEs) from the Caucasus countries listed above can apply for this scholarship (from the Russian Federation participants living or conducting research in the North Caucasus Federal District will be prioritized, from Turkey, participants living in or conducting research in its Caucasus area will be prioritized).

To foster intercultural exchange and explore the potential of transdisciplinary research in different cultural contexts and world regions, we can offer a limited number of scholarships for participants with low economic resources from the Global South. Scholarships can include participation fee as well as accommodation in shared rooms and meals. No travel grants can be provided. Researchers, post-graduate students with research experiences and practitioners (e.g. civil society organizations, administrative bodies or SMEs) from the Global South can apply for this scholarship. We particularly encourage persons from Africa, Asia and Latin America to apply.

In order to apply for a scholarship, please include in your motivational letter a short statement why this scholarship is needed and how you envision using the insights gained during the Td Summer School Kazbegi to foster transdisciplinarity and sustainability in your current or future professional field.

Opening Event: 
June 30, 2019 (starting in the evening)

Td Training Module:
July 1-5, 2019

Optional excursion:
July 6, 2019
 

Kazbegi National Park Administration
62 Vazha-Pshavela St.
Lower Stepantsminda
Kazbegi

How to get there….

Fly to Tbilisi International Airport or Kutaisi International Airport (some cheap flights from EU countries).

From the Airport to the Tibilisi State University (1 Chavchavadze Avenue, T'bilisi 0179, Georgia):

Tbilisi International Airport: take a taxi to the Tibilisi State University (duration approx. 30min; cost aprox. 40 Lari).

Kutaisi International Airport: take a charter bus to Tbilisi, provided by Georgian bus or Omni bus company (duration approx. 4 hrs. Drive; cost approx. 7 EUR or 20 Lari/person, the tickets can be booked online in advance or purchased upon arrival). 

Meeting point and shuttle service to Kazbegi University:

June 30, 2019, late afternoon: Tibilisi State University (1 Chavchavadze Avenue, T'bilisi 0179, Georgia). Exact time and meeting point will be indicated to the participants.
 

If participants would like to go to Kazbegi individually, there are minibuses leaving regularly (every hour) from the Didube bus station in Tbilisi to Stepantsminda (duration approx. 3 hours, cost about 7 EUR or 20 Lari/ person, no online reservation is possible, the tickets should be purchased upon arrival)

If you have questions or need more information and advice please contact tatia.mzhavanadze@tsu.ge.

Td Summer School Office / Methodology Center
Campus Universitätsallee 1, C40.533
21335 Lüneburg, Germany
Fon +49.4131.677-2295
td_training@leuphana.de

Ulli Vilsmaier, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Methodology Center and Institute of Ethics and Transdisciplinary Sustainability Science
Professor for Transdisciplinary Methods

Andreas Muhar, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria
Professor in Sustainable Landscape Development, Transdisciplinarity and Knowledge Integration

Armen Gevorgyan, Armenian Geographical Society of Armenian Academy of Sciences
Expert and practitioner in geography, landscape development and governance

Christoph Winckler, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria
Professor in Livestock Sciences

Joseph Salukvadze, Tbilisi State University, Georgia
Professor in Human Georgraphy

Ioseb Khelashvili, Tbilisi State University, Georgia
Professor in Economics

Lela Khartishvili 
Expert and practitioner in tourism development in Kazbegi, Georgia

Merab Khokhobaia, Tbilisi State University, Georgia Economics

Tamara Mitrofanenko, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria
Regional development and education for sustainable development

Loni Hensler, National Autonomous University of Mexico and Transdisciplinary Node of the Network for Socio-ecosystems and Sustainability (CONACyT), Mexico
Learning for Collective Territorial Management