Transdisciplinary Scholarship Initiative at UCalgary

Create impact through collaborative and community engaged research and scholarship

Led by the Office of the Vice-President (Research), UCalgary allocates resources and supports transdisciplinary collaboration across our campuses and communities.

The University of Calgary's Strategic Plan

An objective of Ahead of Tomorrow is to expand transdisciplinary research and scholarship. By increasing collaboration between faculties and departments, scholars can bring together new approaches to tackle today's urgent issues.

The President's Strategic Initiatives Fund

Start Something invests $18.9M in transdisciplinary scholarship. The purpose is to define transdisciplinarity for UCalgary, amplify and expand on existing capacity, build new capacity, and facilitate engagement with scholars, staff, the community, and industry.

Featured events

Our Areas of Focus are aimed at bringing together scholars from other faculties and non-academic partners with an eye toward surpassing our current boundaries. These areas do not map onto faculties or specialties but instead intersect to support the development of integrated knowledge.

Cities and Societies

Ways to design, plan, and build sustainable, healthy communities to ensure all societal members thrive. Considers technology, innovations in smart cities, transportation, infrastructure, biodiversity, healthy cities and populations, and designing for equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.

people sitting together, smiling, on their cell phones

Digital Worlds

How data can be used to expand and create connections to inform a world with no boundaries. Considers how we can harness new technologies and themes of extended reality, human connection and enrichment, intelligent tools, security, ethics, regulations and law, and socio-culture transformation.

Energy Futures

The evolving energy system, how potential scenarios might develop over time, and the technological, economic, social, and political opportunities and challenges. Considers climate and environment, energy use and sources, politics and policy, economics, and the socio-cultural role of energy.

young girl holding an apple with a heart bite taken out of it

Health and Life

Child health and wellness, cancer, inflammatory and chronic diseases, brain and mental health, cardiovascular health, bone and joint health, public health, and others. Considers biomedical engineering, health informatics, nursing, and themes of biodiversity and health and wellbeing for people, animals, and the environment. Builds on UCalgary's network of health research institutes.

people stacking their hands in the middle

Democracy, Justice, and Sustainability

Transforming institutions, governments, societies, and spaces to be equitable, inclusive, and diverse. Considers justice, democracy, freedom, autonomy, pluralism, anti-racism, and decolonization - through a lens of sustainability and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. *Intersects all focus areas.