Abstract

Contemporary global challenges—climate change, public health emergencies, digital disruption, and persistent inequality—manifest as interconnected crises that resist resolution through conventional disciplinary approaches. Despite growing recognition of this complexity, research, policy, and engineering communities continue to operate largely within institutional silos, producing fragmented knowledge that fails to translate into transformative societal outcomes. This review article examines transdisciplinary innovation models that systematically integrate science, engineering, public policy, and societal transformation pathways. Drawing on systems thinking, convergence research paradigms, and socio-technical transition theory, the article analyses conceptual frameworks that enable knowledge integration and translational impact. Key frameworks examined include the Multi-Level Perspective on socio-technical transitions, the Transformation Network's interepistemic convergence model, the Responsible Research and Innovation framework, and the Quadruple Helix innovation ecosystem model. The article explores global applications across climate transformation systems, smart infrastructure and digital public services, health systems integration and crisis response, and inclusive economic and technological development. Implementation mechanisms are evaluated through the lens of innovation lifecycle models, multi-level governance strategies, and societal impact assessment methodologies. Two comparative tables synthesise framework characteristics and implementation considerations. Synthesised findings indicate that successful transdisciplinary innovation requires not merely technical integration but institutional adaptability, epistemological pluralism, governance mechanisms that bridge global frameworks with local contexts, and sustained attention to equity, inclusion, and ethical governance. The article concludes that transdisciplinary innovation frameworks represent essential infrastructure for achieving systemic transformation and recommends institutional reforms to support convergence research, evidence-based policy translation, and cross-sectoral collaboration at scale.