Evaluation of Transdisciplinary Research

In an evaluation of transdisciplinary research the progress of research is investigated by comparing the performance with the aims of the research. Due to the complexity and high risk of transdisciplinary research, evaluation is very important to improve the standard of this type of research. (1) Evaluation by the scientific community assesses facts and values of the project from the point of view of the scientific community. Experienced transdisciplinary peers, specific guidelines of the disciplines for the peers, and pluralistic allies with groups of the field are needed. (2) Meta scientific evaluation analyzes the progress of research with scientific methods only. Based on disciplines like economics, logic, or sociology, specific aspects of projects can objectively be proved and the performance can be explained better than the peers or the researchers themselves can do it. (3) Political evaluation is driven by facts, values, and the interests of the participants of the political system. The rationale might be weak but the impact on the decisions is the highest. Transdisciplinary projects have specific abilities to use evaluation by markets. Media works best as lighthouses to establish contact between research and potential users for further evaluation. The strengths of the three types of evaluation have to be checked with regard to a specific transdisciplinary project. Orientated to the needs of the users of the evaluation and the available resources, the optimum evaluation concept can be geared to them.