Here we focus on specific (policy) measures to facilitate the mobility of people as well as the education and training of experts who cross over the research and business domains. Several options are available to stimulate this mobility which we outline in the following sections. Personnel lacking the adequate skills has been identified as one of the problems hampering innovation activities in the business sector. Mobility measures allow for upgrading the applied research skills of human resources and companies access to scientific knowledge. This will lead to enhancing the business sector’s absorptive capacities for research.
5.5.1 Creating a policy environment for staff secondments
Creating a policy framework that enables the movement of specialists from universities and research institutes to companies, and from companies to universities and research institutes, is a powerful mechanism for establishing persistent and productive relationships between research and business. The advantages of encouraging staff mobility – in either direction – mainly concern the opportunities this provides for a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of problems and building of trust.
In the first instance, the following framework provisions need to be examined:
• Employment contracts. These must be sufficiently flexible to allow this kind of mobility.
• Positive incentives. These may include small payments to offset the disruption that mobility creates; access to unique data; access to research facilities, etc.
• Technical provision for matching opportunities. This kind of mobility usually works when the move presents an opportunity for all sides involved.
Matching opportunities can be achieved via a webpage where companies and research groups/researchers reach out with pressing concerns and/or offers.
5.5.2 Company-funded studentships
This is a scheme whereby companies fund undergraduate and postgraduate (Masters and PhD) studentships. There are numerous examples of such schemes in the EU Member States, including:
• Schemes coordinated by intermediaries. In the UK, for example, apprenticeship schemes were introduced by the government. While the majority of these concern training, some, mainly in engineering, are used to fund students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
• Direct approach by industry. In this case, companies directly approach a university and agree the conditions under which they will fund several studentships.
• Ad-hoc funding arrangements are also possible, whereby a company supports a specific student.
5.5.3 Industrial participation in university teaching
Industry can participate in university teaching in the following ways:
• Proposing a tailor-made course/degree (at undergraduate and/or Masters level) whereby the company has a decisive say on the learning outcomes, syllabus and teaching approach. Naturally, the company provides the financial support for developing and running the course/degree and may, or may not, also offer studentships. This is a relatively long-term arrangement.
• Involvement in redesigning existing courses/degrees. This is lighter-touch industry involvement that can have a considerable effect on university teaching and training.
• People from industry teaching on university courses/degrees. Industry experts can either be invited to give guest lectures or can teach entire courses.
• Offering industry placements to students. Such placements can be organised as ‘sandwich’ degrees whereby undergraduate and postgraduate students spend several months to a year working in a company aligned with their degree.
5.5.4 Coordinated PhDs
This proposal is modelled on CASE studentships in the UK113 which involve:
• Co-funding of the PhD by public funding and funding from a company.
113 CASE studentships are offered by UK research councils, thematic R&I funding bodies, e.g. in biosciences, environmental sciences, etc. See example at:
https://nerc.ukri.org/funding/available/postgrad/focused/industrial-case/
• The PhD project is defined so that students work on a practical problem experienced by the company (or the industrial sector) while meeting strict academic standards.
• Students are co-supervised by a university researcher and a representative of the industrial partner.
• Students spend some of their time at the company (and have access to data).
International practice case: Mobility schemes for human resources in Germany
In Germany, more than 200 public and private universities offer ‘dual’ BA/MA studies.
Dual means that study phases alternate with segments of practical work in the private sector. On the base of cooperation contracts between the academic and private sectors, companies directly influence and financially support human capital fitting their economic needs. At the same time, students prepare for growing expectations and specific challenges in management positions and innovative production.
A specific state-funded programme (‘Meister-BAföG’) is reserved for master craftsmen who wish to upgrade their managerial or technical abilities beyond middle management114. Their long-term experience and training is recognised as an adequate basis for further MA studies in their professional area.
At the postgraduate level, there are a growing number of dual PhD studies in a broad range of societal and technical disciplines. Besides universities, many specialised and renowned private graduate schools are running such programmes, funded either by the state or by private companies. Decisive for such models is a decentralised approach: generally, dual PhD studies are integrated into local expertise and regional development policies.
5.5.4.1 Recommendation 23: Introduce a research-to-business fellowship scheme for PhD students.
From the options outlined for the mobility of human resources, we believe that in the short term a mobility scheme for PhD students to business should be introduced. This takes into account the limited available resources whilst ensuring the stimulation of the research-business interaction. The fellowship could be modelled on the example of the coordinated PhDs, whereby both research and business organisation supervise the implementation of the PhD project and the student’s study time is shared between university and company. The fellowship scheme could be implemented by the GITA building on the experience of the SRNSFG, which already has at its disposal a portfolio of fellowships for young researchers.
114 See www.aufstiegs-bafoeg.de
Key operational steps:
• Assess the policy environment for staff secondments. It should be adapted to facilitate research-business mobility, and administrative hurdles must be removed. Where required, modify employment contracts, consider providing positive incentives, and introduce matching opportunities (e.g. via the GITA’s website).
• Identify potential host institutions (companies) for PhD students and assess the potential business demand in the mobility scheme; this activity should be linked to the mapping of SBL success stories and expertise outlined above.
• The RIC secretariat will select the managing institution for the scheme, e.g.
GITA, and will allocate a budget for its implementation.
• Develop the terms of reference for this fellowship scheme, consult with stakeholders and decide on the final version. Implement a call and select fellowships.
• Ensure monitoring and evaluation of the scheme’s impact, and adapt it according to the evaluation results.
Figure 22: Activity line for research-business mobility
5.6 Science-business links good practice cases: company sector,