During the ESCH-R DRIFT Transition Training on May 20th 2026, ESCH-R PhD’s and Postdocs explored the principles of transition thinking and action research in the context of circular healthcare. This session was organized by ESCH-R Researcher Sanne Jansen in collaboration with DRIFT for transition,

Together with Roel van Raak and Ties van Daal from DRIFT, our PhD’s and Postdocs reflected on the broader societal transitions currently taking place; from linear to circular systems, from optimization to systemic change, and from isolated innovations to long-term transformation.

Using concepts such as the Multi-Level Perspective and the X-Curve, participants examined how transitions develop over time and how innovations, policies, societal developments, and institutional structures interact. The training also highlighted an important challenge within healthcare: balancing the need for transformation with the stability and reliability required in a system centered around human lives.

A recurring insight during the training was that transitions rarely happen overnight. Systemic change requires collaboration, reflection, experimentation, and the ability to connect individual research projects to a broader societal vision.

A special thank you to Sanne Jansen for organizing the training, and to all ESCH-R researchers who contributed their perspectives and experiences throughout the day: Jasper Klasen, Jan Tsai, Jacopo Parma, Yifan Yang, Ayşegül Özçelik, Heidi Annala, Paula Götz, Joek van der Zwaan, Yuanyuan (Alice) Wu, Alanya den Boer and Cecile Cuijpers.