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From Academia to Industry: Are Doctorate Holders Ready?

Author

Listed:
  • Hannelore Grande
  • Katrien Boyser
  • Karen Vandevelde
  • Ronan Rossem

Abstract

In policy debates related to innovation potential, the limited mobility from academia to industry is often explained by the supposed mismatch of skills needed in these different settings. We contribute to this debate by (1) examining the attitudes of Flemish doctoral candidates towards careers in industry, and (2) by analysing the extent to which doctoral candidates and employers in industry in Flanders differ in their views on the skills needed to perform well in this sector. We combined survey data with qualitative research. The Survey of Junior Researchers (SJR) provides information on the doctoral candidates’ perspective on these matters, whereas the Research & Development survey of Flemish companies reflects the employers’ views. Additional data obtained through interviews with both doctorate holders and employers provide a more in-depth understanding of the transition from academia to industry. A mismatch between what doctoral candidates consider important skills for a job in industry and what employers expect from researchers is observed. The importance of technical skills and more transferable competencies such as project management and business skills are underestimated by doctoral candidates. The findings raise questions on the awareness among doctoral candidates of the skills needed for a career outside academia. Addressing possible negative attitudes and providing adequate training and career planning could improve their preparation for work in non-academic settings. This is the first study in Flanders comparing researchers' and employers' views on skills, confirming findings in other countries that institutional programmes have a role to play in bridging the gap between employers' expectations and those of doctoral candidates. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Hannelore Grande & Katrien Boyser & Karen Vandevelde & Ronan Rossem, 2014. "From Academia to Industry: Are Doctorate Holders Ready?," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 5(3), pages 538-561, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:jknowl:v:5:y:2014:i:3:p:538-561
    DOI: 10.1007/s13132-014-0192-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Pierre Béret & Jean-François Giret & Isabelle Recotillet, 2003. "Trajectories from public sector of research to private sector : an analysis using french data on young PhD graduates," Post-Print halshs-00006142, HAL.
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    3. Wolfgang Proissl, 2010. "Why Germany fell out of love with Europe," Essays and Lectures 417, Bruegel.
    4. Stén, Susanna, 2008. "Mapping of the PhDs in the Private Sector. A Literature Review," Discussion Papers 1155, The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy.
    5. Laudeline Auriol, 2010. "Careers of Doctorate Holders: Employment and Mobility Patterns," OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers 2010/4, OECD Publishing.
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    Cited by:

    1. Dirk Meissner & Natalia Shmatko, 2019. "Integrating professional and academic knowledge: the link between researchers skills and innovation culture," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 44(4), pages 1273-1289, August.
    2. Uwe Cantner & Philip Doerr & Maximilian Goethner & Matthias Huegel & Martin Kalthaus, 2024. "A procedural perspective on academic spin-off creation: the changing relative importance of the academic and the commercial sphere," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 62(4), pages 1555-1590, April.
    3. Hayter, Christopher S. & Parker, Marla A., 2019. "Factors that influence the transition of university postdocs to non-academic scientific careers: An exploratory study," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 556-570.
    4. Jeongeun Kim & Molly Ott & Lindsey Dippold, 2020. "University and Department Influences on Scientists’ Occupational Outcomes," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 61(2), pages 197-228, March.
    5. Santos, João M. & Horta, Hugo & Heitor, Manuel, 2016. "Too many PhDs? An invalid argument for countries developing their scientific and academic systems: The case of Portugal," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 113(PB), pages 352-362.

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