Copyright © 2012 by the author(s). Published here under license by the Resilience Alliance. Kueffer, C., E. Underwood, G. Hirsch Hadorn, R. Holderegger, M. Lehning, C. Pohl, M. Schirmer, R. Schwarzenbach, M. Stauffacher, G. Wuelser, and P. Edwards. 2012. Enabling effective problem-oriented research for sustainable development. Ecology and Society 17(4): 8. http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ ES-05045-170408 Synthesis Enabling Effective Problem-oriented Research for Sustainable Development Christoph Kueffer 1 , Evelyn Underwood 2 , Gertrude Hirsch Hadorn 3 , Rolf Holderegger 1,4 , Michael Lehning 5,6 , Christian Pohl 3 , Mario Schirmer 7 , René Schwarzenbach 8 , Michael Stauffacher 3 , Gabriela Wuelser 3 and Peter Edwards 1,2 ABSTRACT. Environmental problems caused by human activities are increasing; biodiversity is disappearing at an unprecedented rate, soils are being irreversibly damaged, freshwater is increasingly in short supply, and the climate is changing. To reverse or even to reduce these trends will require a radical transformation in the relationship between humans and the natural environment. Just how this can be achieved within, at most, a few decades is unknown, but it is clear that academia must play a crucial role. Many believe, however, that academic institutions need to become more effective in helping societies move toward sustainability. We first synthesize current thinking about this crisis of research effectiveness. We argue that those involved in producing knowledge to solve societal problems face three particular challenges: the complexity of real-world sustainability problems, maintaining impartiality when expert knowledge is used in decision making, and ensuring the salience of the scientific knowledge for decision makers. We discuss three strategies to meet these challenges: conducting research in interdisciplinary teams, forming research partnerships with actors and experts from outside academia, and framing research questions with the aim of solving specific problems (problem orientation). However, we argue that implementing these strategies within academia will require both cultural and institutional change. We then use concepts from transition management to suggest how academic institutions can make the necessary changes. At the level of system optimization, we call for: quality criteria, career incentives, and funding schemes that reward not only disciplinary excellence but also achievements in inter-/transdisciplinary work; professional services and training through specialized centers that facilitate problem-oriented research and reciprocal knowledge exchange with society; and the integration of sustainability and inter-/transdisciplinary research practices into all teaching curricula. At the level of system innovation, we propose radical changes in institutional structures, research and career incentives, teaching programs, and research partnerships. We see much value in a view of change that emphasizes the complementarity of system innovation and system optimization. The goal must be a process of change that preserves the traditional strengths of academic research, with its emphasis on disciplinary excellence and scientific rigor, while ensuring that institutional environments and the skills, worldviews, and experiences of the involved actors adapt to the rapidly changing needs of society. Key Words: interdisciplinarity; knowing-doing gap; outreach; participation; post-normal science; problem-oriented research; research partnership; research policy; science-policy nexus; social learning; transdisciplinarity; transition management INTRODUCTION Two of the important achievements of science have been to document and understand the impacts that humans have on the global ecosystem. Many studies in recent years have shown, in ever greater detail, that the world is living beyond its means. Thanks to the collective efforts of natural scientists, we know, for example, that biodiversity is being lost at an increasing rate, that soils are being irreversibly damaged, that freshwater is being polluted or used faster than it is replenished in many regions, and that the climate is changing (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005, IPCC 2007, McIntyre et al. 2009, WWAP 2009, Schwarzenbach et al. 2010). Thanks to the work of social scientists, we have a good understanding of the societal context of these sustainability problems, and their social and economic consequences (Rayner and Malone 1998, Becker et al. 1999, Costanza 2003). Through their work, we know that such problems are caused by the combined actions of diverse societal actors, that the people they most affect are usually not those who caused them, and that these problems are multi-dimensional, complex, and politically controversial. Given this complexity, the goal of sustainable development seems to many to be further away now than when the concept was formulated in 1987 (World Commission on Environment and Development 1987). Indeed, no one knows how sustainability can be achieved. What is certain is that it will be difficult and entail a hugely complex process of adaptive management, with scientists involved at all stages: detecting emerging problems, designing and implementing specific measures, monitoring the consequences, and drawing lessons for the future (ICSU 2010). It will also require innovation: new technologies, new infrastructures, different business models, new regulatory frameworks, altered value systems, and changed patterns of consumption. Thus, academic institutions will have a central role to play in helping societies live more sustainably. 1 Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, 2 Alliance for Global Sustainability, ETH Zurich, 3 Institute for Environmental Decisions, ETH Zurich, 4 WSL Swiss Federal Research Institute, 5 WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, 6 École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 7 Eawag, 8 Competence Center Environment and Sustainability (CCES), ETH Zurich