4 research outputs found
Dimensionality reduction with image data
A common objective in image analysis is dimensionality reduction. The most common often used data-exploratory technique with this objective is principal component analysis. We propose a new method based on the projection of the images as matrices after a Procrustes rotation and show that it leads to a better reconstruction of images
How to boost the PHD labour market? : facts from the PHD system side
OCDE publications in the early 1990s on Science-Technology-Economy alerted several
member countries on the prediction of a future shortage of skilled researchers and its possible
impact on the economy. Consequently, on the decade 1998-2009 the number of doctorates
handed out in all OECD countries grew by 31%. Doctoral holders are not only the most
qualified in terms of educational attainment, but also those who are specifically trained to
conduct research. Although the unemployment rate for doctoral holders is stabilized around
3% since 2006, nowadays it is becoming more and more difficult for them to find a job
corresponding to their qualification. The recruitment of PhD graduates in the private sector
(business, industry) should be considered a key avenue in converting research into
commercialized innovations, technological progress and productivity growth of the countries.
Universities and R&D and innovation policy makers are committed in boosting the PhD labour
market. This paper discusses the diagnosis of the situation of the PhD job market, the careers
and mobility of doctorates holders along the OCDE countries. Having analyzed the employment
of PhD holders in the private sector and bearing in mind that most of the doctoral programs
conform to a classical old model, our interest is focused on exploring significant relationships
between the intensity of graduate’s employment in private sector and new strategies
implemented in recently upgraded doctoral systems. Conclusions relating recent reforms in the
PhD system established in some OECD countries and their PhD labour market are stated out.
In this study we make intensive use of the data collected through a collaborative project
launched by the OECD with the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) and Eurostat
(OECD/UIS/Eurostat project) aimed at developing internationally comparable indicators on the
careers and mobility of doctorate holders in 2009, the CDH projec
Improving quality assessment of composite indicators in university rankings: a case study of French and German universities of excellence
Composite indicators play an essential role for benchmarking higher education
institutions. One of the main sources of uncertainty building composite indicators and,
undoubtedly, the most debated problem in building composite indicators is the
weighting schemes (assigning weights to the simple indicators or subindicators)
together with the aggregation schemes (final composite indicator formula). Except the
ideal situation where weights are provided by the theory, there clearly is a need for
improving quality assessment of the final rank linked with a fixed vector of weights.
We propose to use simulation techniques to generate random perturbations around any
initial vector of weights to obtain robust and reliable ranks allowing to rank universities
in a range bracket. The proposed methodology is general enough to be applied no matter
the weighting scheme used for the composite indicator. The immediate benefit achieved
is a reduction of the uncertainty associated with the assessment of a specific rank which
is not representative of the real performance of the university, and an improvement of
the quality assessment of composite indicators used to rank. To illustrate the proposed
methodology we rank the French and the German universities involved in their
respective 2008 Excellence Initiatives
How to boost the PhD labour market? : facts from the R&D and innovation policies side
This paper analyzes the PhD labour market in connection to the Research and
Innovation countries’ performance. Research and Innovation is essential for
competitiveness in a global economy and doctorate holders have the skills and attributes
to both engage in world-class research and make productive contributions in a wide
spectrum of professional roles in innovation, in particular, in the private sector.
However, in the recent literature little attention has been paid to measure the doctorate’s
employment in the private sector, their role in the public-private research linkages and
their effects on the innovation performance of the countries. The recruitment of PhD
graduates in the private sector should be considered a key avenue in converting publicly
funded basic research into commercialized innovations, technological progress and
productivity growth. The aim of this paper is to examine which policies are boosting
the PhD employment especially in the business sector and how these policies affect
the research and innovation performance of the countries