Partnerships for the United Nations´ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Southeast Asia

In Cooperation with:

Interested in thinking about and researching “Partnerships for the United Nations´ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Southeast Asia”?

Looking for a topic for your Humboldt, Elinor Ostrom, Bachelor or Master Thesis[*]?

Keen on cooperation with international peers? Interested in tackling the big challenges and opportunities of our time?

Motivated to become part of the project “Transcultural Caravan” and

to join an interdisciplinary group? 

Do you want to publish your first chapter in an academic publication?

If you answered yes to at least two of these questions, we look forward to receiving your application! For further information on the application process, please see the appropriate section in this document.

What is the Transcultural Student Research Group about?

Since 2017 the Transcultural Caravan at the Leadership Excellence Institute Zeppelin | LEIZ (Zeppelin University – Germany) has been running Transcultural Student Research Groups | TSRGs. The research project is designed to provide opportunities to deepen knowledge on specific research topics and to have a genuine transcultural experience. Over the last five years, more than seventy participants from about ten different countries have taken part in the project.

Each year, the TSRG has a different regional and thematic focus (2017 Hybrid and Transculturality in Hong-Kong; 2018 Transculturality and Community in Uganda; 2019 Relational Leadership in Brazil; 2020 Civil Society Cooperation in Europe; 2021 the Impacts of BRI on Europe).

In 2022 the focus is on Partnerships for the United Nations´ Sustainable Development Goals in Southeast Asia.

How does the TSRG actually work?

The students involved in the project form research groups based on common research interests. Each group works together on specific research questions that correlate with both their disciplinary background and the TSRG’s overarching research topic in an academic co-authoring process over a period of around a year. Accordingly, the TSRG consists of several such transcultural groups that apply the common research theme to their respective case studies and disciplines. A team of experts will supervise the students throughout the process. In the end, the research results of each group will be published in a joint volume in the book series “Transcultural Management Series” (Metropolis Publisher):

For more information on the time schedule, please refer to the time frame section.

What does the TSRG offer to you?

  1. A unique transcultural learning experience
  2. Research experience in an international team of students and professors
  3. Certificate of participation and record of work
  4. Up to 20 credits[**]
  5. Publication of your first academic paper

Why a TSRG on “Partnerships for the United Nations´ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Southeast Asia”?

Southeast Asia (SEA), larger than the European Union by area and population, is home to eleven countries and more than 650 million people. The distinct cultural, economic, and political flavour of the different countries makes SEA extremely diverse and complex but also one of the fastest growing regional economies in the world.

Hence, the region represents both opportunities and challenges, and it is gaining increasing importance. These opportunities and challenges include the United Nations´ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and, in particular, the role that Southeast Asia plays in implementing and revitalising global partnerships for such goals.

Interested in a quick overview of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? Please visit the following websites:

Topics for the sub-research projects

The TSRG is an interdisciplinary project. The topic “Partnerships for the SDGs in Southeast Asia” can be explored from different angles, raising different research questions.

Participants interested in the following topics are welcome:

The political-science perspective on the SDGs:

  • City diplomacy: Related to goal No. 11 on sustainable cities and communities. The role of city diplomacy in shaping partnerships and the pursuit of the SDGs in Southeast Asia.
  • Effective governance structures for sustainability and stability: Related to goal No. 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions. The role of governance structures in shaping partnerships and the pursuit of the SDGs in Southeast Asia.

The economic perspective on the SDGs:

  • Economic initiatives: Related to goal No. 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure. The role of economic partnerships in shaping partnerships and the pursuit of the SDGs in Southeast Asia.
  • Sustainable HR practices: Related to goal No. 8 on decent work and economic growth. The role of HR practices in shaping partnerships and the pursuit of the SDGs in Southeast Asia.
  • Management, Leadership and Stakeholder dialogue: Related to goal No. 12 on responsible consumption and production. The role of management, leadership and stakeholder dialogue in shaping partnerships and the pursuit of the SDGs in Southeast Asia.
  • Female Leadership in Southeast Asia: Related to goal No. 5 on gender equality. The role of female leaders in shaping partnerships and the pursuit of the SDGs in Southeast Asia.

The social, cultural and environmental perspective on the SDGs:

  • Transcultural Education: Related to goal No. 4 on quality education. The role of transcultural education in shaping partnerships and the pursuit of the SDGs in Southeast Asia.
  • Transcultural Cooperation and Global Citizenship for the SDGs in Southeast Asia: Related to goal No. 17. The role of partnerships beyond cultural boundariesin shaping partnerships and the pursuit of the SDGs in Southeast Asia.
  • Environmental issues: Related to goals No. 6 (clean water and sanitation), No. 7 (affordable and clean energy), No. 13 (climate action), No. 14 (Life below water) and No. 15 (Life on land).

Open topic: Do you have any different ideas on how to research Partnerships for the SDGs in Southeast Asia? Please feel free to submit your ideas. Different ideas will be evaluated.

Timeframe

  • By April 2022: Kick-off and participant matching (online)
    • First meeting prepared by Zeppelin University
  • May – July 2022: Preparatory Phase (online)
    • Workshops related to different topics (e.g., SDGs, Transcultural Cooperation, Working in Transcultural Teams, Research Methods, Para-diplomacy, Women in Leadership, etc.)
  • August 2022, 1st to 10th: Research Trip to Southeast Asia[***]
    • Research trip to Vietnam with visits to our university partners and other cooperation partners (e.g., companies)
  • September – October 2022: Elaboration of the findings and insights from the field research trip
    • Coaching sessions (online)
  • November 2022: Hybrid Transcultural Winter School (1 week) and Transcultural Leadership Summit at Zeppelin University
  • February 2023: Submission of first drafts for the joint publication

As for the TSRG 2022, the project will start in April. After a kick-off meeting, all selected participants of the TSRG 2022 from the different partner universities will be matched in transcultural groups. After the groups and the specific research questions have been determined, the participants will be prepared to conduct their research in a preparatory phase. The preparatory phase includes both thematic and methodological workshops. In addition, a workshop on transcultural competences will provide participants with the necessary skills to work together across their cultural boundaries.

A research trip in August 2022 to Southeast Asia will provide the opportunity to conduct field research and exchange views with local experts. 

Initial results of the studies will be presented during the Transcultural Winter School | WS 2022 at Zeppelin University. In addition to the preliminary results, the WS offers the opportunity to maintain dialogue and interaction both within one’s own research group and between the different groups. 

The final research results will then be published in a joint book from the “Transcultural Management Series” by Metropolis Verlag.

Application

Interested ZU students from all study programs are welcome and can apply for the TSRG 2022 until April 8, 2022. To apply for the Transcultural Student Research Group 2022, please send an emailto Jessica Schwengber (Jessica.Schwengber@zu.de). Applicants should specify the topic of interest (political science, economic or socio-cultural and environmental topic) for the research project they want to work on. It should also be specified if they intend to write their Humboldt, Elinor Ostrom, Bachelor or Master theses in this project.

Team and Partners

This year we would be delighted to form a Transcultural Student Research Group (TSRG) with students and lecturers from the following universities:

Represented by Josef Wieland

Represented by Tomasz Kamiński

Represented by Lan Dang Thi Ngoc and Minh Hanh Le

Represented by NGUYỄN Nam

Further impressions:

[*] Humboldt and Elinor Ostrom research projects should comply with the FSPO specifications and meet the submission deadlines.

[**] Credits can only be granted for curricular projects (Humboldt, Elinor Ostrom as well as Bachelor and Master thesis). The number of credits depends on the specific curricular project that each participant will undertake.

[***] Please note that part of the costs for the research trip must be covered by the participants themselves (Eigenbeteiligung).