Image credits: Marta Dell’Ovo
Advancing Decision Support: Evaluation Approaches in Contexts of Complex Transitions
05 – 10 July 2026
Supporting informed decision making is essential for addressing complex problems that involve conflicting factors, interconnected systems, and externalities. This course explores multidisciplinary evaluation approaches and tools for decision support in areas like urban resilience, sustainability, and climate change, fostering skills to manage complexity effectively.
Keywords: Decision support, Co-design, Urban resilience, Stakeholder Analysis, Multidisciplinary evaluation
Location
Alkmaar, the Netherlands
Participants
Application is open to Master and PhD Students of the member universities from the IDEA League Alliance
Expenses
There are no tuition fees or accommodation fees. Lunches and official social activities will also be covered. Students from IDEA League member universities selected to participate in this summer school only have to pay for their own travel costs where applicable.
Requirements
– Curriculum vitae & publications list
– Letter of motivation
– Letter of recommendation (optional)
– Transcript of records (for master students)
– Supervisor approval (for PhD candidates from Chalmers)
Supporting and informing decision-making processes is crucial for achieving organizational goals and driving societal progress. Decision problems in complex urban transitions arise from conflicting factors, interrelated subsystems, and externalities, demanding solutions that integrate knowledge from various disciplines. In the context of decision making, single-criterion approaches are often insufficient, as they neglect important aspects of multifaceted problems. Multicriteria approaches, by contrast, enable comprehensive solutions by considering various perspectives. These tools are particularly effective in areas such as:
– urban regeneration economics
– sustainable communities and social inclusion
– urban resilience and environmental management
– climate change mitigation
– energy efficiency, supply chain management, and more.
These methodologies provide decision makers with a bridge between understanding complex problems and implementing effective strategies.
Learning Objectives
The course aims to equip students with the tools and frameworks needed to address complexity in decision-aiding through multi-actor and multicriteria approaches. By exploring real-world challenges across diverse domains, students will gain both theoretical and practical insights. The course will provide:
- Fundamental knowledge of decision-aiding theories and tools, focusing on multidisciplinary approaches.
- Practical exercises and case studies to enhance students’ capacity to apply these tools effectively in complex contexts.
Experts with a background in decision science will mentor students throughout the course, ensuring a hands-on learning experience.
Teaching Specifications
Researchers from the Idea League Network and Inholland will join the Summer School to propose case studies/decision problems to students to be analyzed and solved by applying the tools and methodologies learned during the theoretical lectures.
The course will be organized in Theoretical lectures and Team working sessions. During the lectures main concepts, methodologies and approaches will be explained in order to be applied in the working sessions on a specific case study provided to the students. Students will work in multidisciplinary teams.