Zürich, CH

The Transdisciplinary Science Lab at ETH Zürich, together with the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, published an overview of Theory of Change (ToC) for use in research contexts, prepared by the Sustainability Research Effectiveness team. ToC is a practical approach for iterative planning, monitoring, evaluation, and learning for change-oriented research. The process of articulating a ToC helps develop a comprehensive shared understanding of and ownership over a research project or program. ToC provides a reference point to monitor and evaluate progress by defining more clearly what activities and actors are needed, as well as their respective roles in the intended change processes. “The theory of change tool is really important. It will complement the toolbox well for researchers interested in knowledge co-production and transdisciplinary science” said ETH associate, Dr. Gabriela Wülser.

To cite the ToC overview in TD-net’s Toolbox, use the following information:

Belcher, B., & Claus, R. (2020). Theory of Change. td-net toolbox profile (5). Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences: td-net toolbox for co-producing knowledge. www.transdisciplinarity.ch/toolbox. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3717451

Learn more about TD-net and our featured approach on Theory of Change. Find other transdisciplinary tools in TD-net’s Toolbox. Read more news posts from the Sustainability Research Effectiveness Program.