Knowledge sharing in smart grid pilot projects

The major role that the electrification of the energy system is projected to play in the transition to a sustainable economy increases the pressure on the electricity grid and thereby creates a demand for the implementation of smart grid technologies. The interdependencies present in the electricity system require, and have led to, the wide-scale adoption of pilot projects to develop knowledge about the application of these technologies. While the knowledge sharing that stems from these projects is one of the justifications for subsidising these projects, it has remained largely a black box. Based on the analysis of interviews with the project leaders of sixteen smart grid pilot projects, complementary secondary data sources and a survey, we studied knowledge sharing at four levels: intra-organisational, intra-project, inter-project and project-external knowledge sharing. At each level we observed specific sublevels, mechanisms and barriers, resulting in complex knowledge sharing dynamics. While the projects succeeded in developing knowledge, knowledge sharing between projects run by different consortium partners rarely occurred and project-external knowledge sharing was primarily unidirectional and involved generic knowledge. Based on the results a set of recommendations was developed that can stimulate the knowledge sharing and thereby increase the value generated by these projects

Doctoral graduates’ transition to industry: networks as a mechanism?:Cases from Norway, Sweden and the UK

Increased public investment in PhD education to drive innovation has led to a recent rapid growth in the number of PhD graduates. Academic labour markets have not developed at the same pace. An ever-larger share of the graduates is finding employment in industry. The transition from academia to industry is not always easy. The present study aims to provide insights into the role played by PhDs networks in the job search after graduation. Our data comprise interviews with industry-employed doctoral graduates in STEM disciplines from Sweden, Norway and the UK. Our findings show that PhDs autonomously built personal networks can help match their specific scientific expertise with labour market demands. We distinguish country-specific patterns and characteristics of the transition, in which regional career paths are more (Scandinavia) or less (the UK) noticeable. The study has practical implications, in particular for PhD students and graduates, related to their career orientation.Funding Agencies|European UnionEuropean Union (EU) [722295]</p

Reconnecting the University to the Region of Twente : Findings from the RUNIN-Design Lab Think Tank

The RUNIN project's Design Lab Think Tank took place on 28th June 2018. Its aim was to discuss the topic of universities' engagement with society, specifically in their region. It used a world café format that brought together regional stakeholders to discuss how the University of Twente (UT) can incorporate societal questions in its core activities and, through this, create regional benefits. This report provides a description of the event, a summation of the initiatives proposed and an analysis of the discussion that was prompted by the sub-questions around the subject of universities' societal engagement

Evaluation of the Academy of Finland

The objective of the evaluation was to produce a comprehensive view of the activities of the Academy of Finland based on international and national expertise and to find means for improving the Academy's impact, operation and structures. Overall conclusion is that the Academy is working well, given the budgetary and policy constrains within which it functions, but that these constraints need to be addressed if the research and innovation system in Finland is once more to be well governed and can therefore allow the Academy to make a fuller contribution. The government needs a way to regain systemic perspective, and to decide how and to what extent it will tackle the societal challenges by thinking in terms of systemic transitions in addition to stable innovation systems. The current activities in government towards achieving the 4% target and reforming research and innovation funding are encouraging signs that this perspective can be regained, and a new dynamism injected into Finnish research and innovation policy. Based on the analysis and conclusions the evaluation gives recommendations to the government, to the Ministry and the Academy, and of the future role of the Academy

The impact of the establishment of a university in a peripheral region on the local labour market for graduates

The establishment of a university can be used as policy instrument to revitalize peripheral regions. Such newly established universities tend to experience rapid growth, but little is known about how this affects the labour market for graduates in these regions over time. A quantitative case study, employing individual-level microdata, analyzed changes in the wage levels and mobility of graduates of Aalborg University, which was established in 1974 in the North Denmark region. The analysis shows that the establishment of Aalborg University contributed to the upgrading of the human capital in the region, fulfilling a demand in the labour market, as indicated by wage growth similar to that of the labour market in other regions and a growing percentage of local young people to stay in the region after graduation. Furthermore, the university increased its intake of students from outside the region, who then as graduates dispersed to other parts of the country, thereby serving to supply human capital at the national level. These insights add to our understanding of how a new university can play a role in the economic development of a peripheral region, while at the same time also having impact at the national level. Nevertheless, this instrument is not applicable to all regions in the same way, since local critical mass and regional embeddedness are required to enable a region to absorb a substantial number of graduates and benefit from the presence of the university

Knowledge sharing in smart grid pilot projects

The major role that the electrification of the energy system is projected to play in the transition to a sustainable economy increases the pressure on the electricity grid and thereby creates a demand for the implementation of smart grid technologies. The interdependencies present in the electricity system require, and have led to, the wide-scale adoption of pilot projects to develop knowledge about the application of these technologies. While the knowledge sharing that stems from these projects is one of the justifications for subsidising these projects, it has remained largely a black box. Based on the analysis of interviews with the project leaders of sixteen smart grid pilot projects, complementary secondary data sources and a survey, we studied knowledge sharing at four levels: intra-organisational, intra-project, inter-project and project-external knowledge sharing. At each level we observed specific sublevels, mechanisms and barriers, resulting in complex knowledge sharing dynamics. While the projects succeeded in developing knowledge, knowledge sharing between projects run by different consortium partners rarely occurred and project-external knowledge sharing was primarily unidirectional and involved generic knowledge. Based on the results a set of recommendations was developed that can stimulate the knowledge sharing and thereby increase the value generated by these projects