President’s Award for Transdisciplinary Collaboration
The Arizona State University President’s Award for Transdisciplinary Collaboration recognizes project teams that have undertaken exemplary trans-sectoral collaboration addressing a complex societally relevant issue. These research teams work collaboratively with actively engaged participants from different sectors — academia, business and industry, government laboratories, agencies and organizations in civil society. Such an award program can elevate the profile of HIBAR research, and it can also be a good way to identify and connect with researchers who are working on HIBAR research projects.
A brief description of the President’s Award for Transdisciplinary Collaboration
The President’s Office at ASU recognizes exemplary research through a suite of awards to the ASU research community, including both faculty and staff. The President’s Award for Transdisciplinary Collaboration was launched in 2023 specifically to recognize exemplary HIBAR projects. (The others awards are for innovation, social embeddedness, and sustainability.)
The President’s Award for Transdisciplinary Collaboration is awarded annually to a research team whose leadership includes at least one researcher who is a member of the ASU academic community and at least one affiliated with a societal partner organization. A societal partner organization can be a government agency or laboratory, a for-profit company or a non-profit organization. Researchers in all fields are eligible to apply.
Eligible projects must have specific HIBAR qualities or characteristics, including dual motivation, shared leadership, and sustained urgency. These requirements are spelled out in detail in the award criteria, and the application guidelines walk applicants through the key features of a HIBAR project so that they can explain how their project meets the criteria. The award documentation offers the added benefit of building awareness of HIBAR research projects within the ASU community. The ASU President honors recipients at the President’s Awards ceremony, and project members receive a team plaque, individual certifications and recognition in ASU media outlets.
This strategic action can encourage cross-sectoral co-leadership & shared decision-making:
This award celebrates exemplary projects that integrate both purpose and cross-sectoral leadership, and ASU chose to name the award for “Transdisciplinary Collaboration” to directly align with the existing language in ASU’s design aspirations.
Awarded projects integrate the following characteristics:
- Dual motivations or integrated purposes that seek new knowledge and address a critical societal challenge. These purposes lead project teams to draw from a more comprehensive set of knowledge and skills.
- Shared leadership by academic and non-academic researchers representing wider society, working in a collaborative and equitable partnership. Participants from different sectors make more informed decisions when working together, including decisions regarding project goals, direction, theories, concepts and methods.
- Sustained urgency is a hallmark of a HIBAR project. Team members are intensely focused on addressing a societal program while recognizing that fundamental understanding requires sustained effort and must be guided by responsible research and innovation principles.
This strategic action directly contributes to various common institutional priorities, including:
HIBAR projects enable university-based researchers and non-academic researchers and practitioners to work together on projects that strengthening commitment to research excellence and also greatly accelerate progress toward solving society’s critical problems, since co-produced research outcomes are more likely to be translated to benefit society in the long term.
Community Engagement
HIBAR projects involve deep partnerships with individuals in external organizations, often in locally-based industries, governments, non-profits, and communities. This inclusion helps build long-lasting relationships with people and organizations holding diverse knowledge and perspectives, and increases future community-engaged activities and solutions.
Global Impact
The integrative cross-sectoral decision-making within a HIBAR project accelerates knowledge creation and generates better and faster solutions toward society’s critical problems. This strengthens a university’s relationships with non-academic organizations, and increases future opportunities to identify and contribute to solving societal challenges.
Learn more about the President’s Award for Transdisciplinary Collaboration:
Criteria for the President’s Award for Transdisciplinary Collaboration
Download a detailed description of the award program
