Abstract

While the concept of transdisciplinarity has been widely discussed in research, there are still challenges for its translation into practice. In this paper we elaborate on the concept of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) as a nexus for transdisciplinary practices in research, teaching and project design. We introduce the STEAM Innovation and Curriculum project and analyse a set of cases identifying different approaches to transdisciplinary practice in higher education (HE) which include framing, inspiring, exploring, challenge addressing and innovating. Each of the approaches is connected to a set of strategies together with some examples. We reflect on the commonalities between the different STEAM approaches since they can offer opportunities for facilitating effective transdisciplinary practices in research and HE leading to innovation.