The Asia Science Mission (ASM) strengthened its commitment to advancing transdisciplinary (TD) capacity across the region by supporting the 2025 Transdisciplinary for Early Career Researchers in Asia+ School (TERRA+ School/TS), held from 4–9 December in Kyoto. The TERRA+ School is an intensive annual training program organized by the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN)—a core ASM partner institution—and the Future Earth Japan Hub. Designed to equip emerging researchers and practitioners with the knowledge, skills, and reflexive mindset required for TD research, this year the course highlights ASM’s mission-led science model of starting from real-world challenges and advancing solutions through transdisciplinary, co-produced approaches. 

This year’s TERRA+ School brought together 17 participants from 11 countries in Asia and beyond, representing diverse disciplinary backgrounds, professional roles, and regional contexts. Notably, the cohort included two participants from ASM Demonstration Initiatives, contributing to the Mission’s regional learning network and the use of demonstration sites as living laboratories for TD innovation.

The TERRA+ School addresses capacity development for scientists, policymakers, and practitioners to engage effectively in mission-led transdisciplinary research. Participants gained practical tools and confidence to lead collaborative initiatives, while expanding networks of like-minded experts across Asia. These outcomes are central to ASM’s mission-oriented approach, which emphasizes co-designed, context-driven solutions that respond directly to societal needs. 

The experience had a tangible impact on ASM Demonstration Initiative participants. Dr. Glen Siron Nolasco, an active partner for the ASM–Resilience Escalator Program in the Philippines, reflected that the discussions underscored “the critical role of key stakeholders in co-producing knowledge.” He noted that understanding perspectives shaped by lived experience, culture, and resource constraints “has changed the way I perceive community challenges,” reinforcing that scientific expertise must be complemented by local insights to generate sustainable interventions.

Similarly, Dr. Arpita Ghosh from the ASM–Sanjeevan Initiative in India reflected that the TERRA+ School fostered sustainability practices that are reflexive and grounded in place. She noted that, amid accelerating ecological uncertainty, the program “goes beyond offering models to replicate,” instead strengthening the sensibilities needed to support long-term, community-centered initiatives such as ASM.

In addition to participating in the TERRA+ School, both ASM representatives delivered flash talks at the RIHN International Symposium, where they presented ASM initiatives and site-based experiences from Purulia (West India) and Pampanga (Central Philippines), contributing to broader international exchange and visibility of ASM’s work.

By investing in capacity-building platforms such as the TERRA+ School, ASM is nurturing a new generation of TD leaders equipped to connect knowledge systems, engage communities as co-creators, and translate research into meaningful action. 

The ASM is supported by the ISC Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific, which is funded by the Australian Department of Industry, Science and Resources and led by the Australian Academy of Science. The five-year programme (2023-2028) is working to ensure that regional needs and priorities are adequately represented in the International Science Council’s global agenda on issues of major importance to both science and society.