Born or made - Can interdisciplinary and intersectoral doctorate education create institutional entrepreneurs? A systematic review

[EN] Solving grand societal challenges such as equitable healthcare provision and climate change will require institutional entrepreneurs – people who can challenge prevailing regulations, behaviors, and ways of thinking. As the pinnacle of educational achievement, the doctoral degree should be the fire in which such fledgling institutional entrepreneurs are forged. Doctoral education has, however, been criticized as overspecialized and divorced from reality. We systematically review the doctoral education literature in our search for doctoral education programs that challenge institutional norms by bridging sectoral and disciplinary divides. We ask whether such programs can help to nurture institutionally entrepreneurial researchers. We find that students must manage ambiguous identities and wide networks but that such programs have the potential to equip them for both sense-making and sense-giving activities of institutional entrepreneurship.Leniston, N.; Mountford, N. (2021). Born or made - Can interdisciplinary and intersectoral doctorate education create institutional entrepreneurs? A systematic review. En 7th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'21). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 791-798. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd21.2021.12960OCS79179

Employer, Industry and Policymaker views on Doctorate Education

As society undergoes green and digital transitions, various policymakers such as the European Commission expect universities to contribute to innovation and progress. As education’s highest achieving graduates, the doctorate holder may be key in this era of innovation and problem-solving. As academic career prospects dwindle, and PhD graduates increasingly enter industry, academic research has highlighted that traditional PhD programmes may not provide the required skills and knowledge for the workforce today. To learn how best to address such issues, we consulted thirteen EU policy documents and industry-led reports; and interviewed thirteen employers to add their voice to the discussion. Findings align with previous reports of a lack of transferable skills, but also introduce new concerns such as the desire for adaptability, experience, and redefining skills with regards to self-presentation. We discuss interdisciplinarity and intersectorality as potential solutions to addressing these needs