Summary
STRIVE is a major interdisciplinary research programme in social sciences and humanities, funded by the UNIL’s Rectorate and coordinated by the Competence Centre in Sustainability (CCD). Its goal is to study the processes and dynamics of societal change leading to the ecological and social transformation of Switzerland.
Based on the assumption that the assessment of the current situation and the goal of the social and ecological transformation are sufficiently well known, STRIVE focuses on the transformation process itself, as research subject. As part of a transformative approach, STRIVE aims to support research exploring the means of bringing about an ambitious and rapid transformation of our socio-economic system. The programme will involve funding for doctoral and post-doctoral research for a period of four years, as part of a major inter- and trans-disciplinary project in which the systemic and, if possible, transformative contributions will be coordinated and facilitated by the Competence Centre in Sustainability (CCD). This project will be divided into work packages, the outlines of which will be defined during the initial phases of the project, starting in January 2024.
The research will focus on the study of the following three cross-cutting topics, identified at the workshop "Quelle recherche sur la transformation écologique et sociale?" held at UNIL in February 2023:
- Governance of change and leadership;
- Social justice and equity in transformation;
- Communication, narratives and storytelling.
STRIVE also offers a seed-funding scheme to develop projects in line with the above-mentioned topics. STRIVE also aims to bring together a dynamic and close-knit research community around the study of societal transformations at UNIL, particularly by organising events and an annual scientific conference.
