Welcome to the Wicked Problems Project. Our team is focusing on how educators in universities prepare students to deal with wicked problems in their future lives. We would love to read your comments and ideas about the project.

While we are working in the University of Edinburgh, we hope our findings will be useful across the sector.

Wicked problems are messy and cannot be fully defined. They have no single obvious solution, require imaginative interdisciplinary problem solving, and bring together multiple stakeholders with diverse perspectives. Wicked problems include climate change, poverty and conflict. The capabilities required to respond effectively to wicked problems are increasingly important in a world where ways of knowing are contested and students’ future roles in knowledge economies are unpredictable.

We are very grateful to the Principal’s Teaching Award Scheme and The Development Trust at the University of Edinburgh for funding this project.