Redefining Research Excellence: Predictive study on future transversal skills for researchers

Redefining Research Excellence: Predictive study on future transversal skills for researchers

In today’s world, where the demands on researchers are constantly evolving, the skills they acquire during their academic journey are becoming more essential than ever. It’s no longer enough to be an expert in a specific field; success now centers on a broader set of competencies, such as communication, collaboration, effective project management, and societal impact. Traditional academic training has long focused on specialized knowledge, often overlooking the broader skills needed in today’s job market. As researchers find themselves working across disciplines and engaging with sectors beyond academia, there’s a pressing need to equip them with skills that extend beyond their immediate field of study.

Recognizing these shifting expectations, the CATALISI project, through one of its Acceleration Services, conducted a predictive study on skills anticipation. The goal was to evaluate how well Europe’s young researchers are being equipped for the future and to identify critical areas where further development is needed, helping Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) better prepare their students and young researchers for successful careers in a variety of fields.

Methodology and Key Findings

The study, led by the EY Advisory team in collaboration with a consortium of European universities and research institutions, utilized a comprehensive methodology, reaching over 1,700 young researchers (R1 and R2) with more than 820 respondents from across Europe who participated in detailed surveys to assess their own transversal skills and competencies. To gain deeper insights, the study also included interviews with more than 50 academic leaders, such as vice rectors and research supervisors, who provided valuable perspectives on the strengths and shortcomings of current training programs. Additionally, the study analyzed job postings through advanced text mining techniques to identify the most trend skills in the job market and evaluate how well these align with the training that young researchers receive during their doctoral studies.

To guide and shape our study and recommendations for this study we utilized the European Competence Framework for Researchers, (ResearchComp). ResearchComp provides a comprehensive structure for identifying and nurturing the essential transversal competencies required during a researcher’s career. The framework categorizes these transversal competencies into seven key areas: cognitive abilities, self-management, teamwork, research execution, research management, research tool management, and impact creation. By focusing on these areas, the study aimed to ensure that researchers are well-equipped to contribute effectively to both academic and non-academic sectors. This approach allowed us to identify specific gaps and opportunities for enhancing researcher training and professional growth.

Significant Insights from the Study

The predictive study revealed several important findings that gave important insights on both the strengths and weaknesses of young researchers in Europe:

  • Strengths in Cognitive and Technical Skills: Young researchers typically display strong cognitive abilities, such as critical thinking and analytical reasoning, which are foundational to their research roles. These skills are essential for conducting rigorous research and advancing knowledge in their fields.
 
  • Gaps in Interpersonal and Project Management Skills: Despite their technical expertise, many researchers struggle with interpersonal skills. Areas like teamwork, effective communication, and project management are often underdeveloped, even though these skills are increasingly valued in both academic and non-academic settings. The study found that these gaps can impact the researchers’ ability to collaborate effectively, manage multidisciplinary projects, and communicate their findings to non-specialist audiences.
 
  • Digital Literacy and Entrepreneurial Thinking: The study highlighted a growing demand for digital literacy and entrepreneurial skills. As digital tools and technologies become more important to research, proficiency in data analytics, digital communication, and online collaboration platforms is essential. Moreover, the ability to think entrepreneurially, whether it’s about commercializing research findings or applying innovative solutions to real-world problems, is increasingly seen as a critical competency. However, many young researchers are not receiving sufficient training in these areas, putting them at a disadvantage in a competitive job market.
 
  • Mismatch Between Academic Training and Employer Expectations: One of the most important findings of the study was the mismatch between the skills emphasized in doctoral programs and those expected by employers, particularly in non-academic sectors. Employers are looking for candidates who can not only conduct high-quality research but also manage projects, engage with policy frameworks, and work effectively across disciplines. Unfortunately, these competencies are not always prioritized in current academic training programs.

Recommendations for Higher Education Institutions

Based on the study’s findings, several key recommendations were made for HEIs, with the main focus:

  • Integrate Comprehensive Digital Skills Training: As digital tools become central to research, it is important for HEIs to include advanced digital skills training into their doctoral programs. This should go beyond basic computer literacy, including training in data analytics, digital communication, and the use of digital platforms for research collaboration and dissemination.

  • Promote Entrepreneurial Mindsets: HEIs should encourage entrepreneurial thinking by providing opportunities for researchers to learn about innovation management, intellectual property rights, and the commercialization of research. This can be achieved through workshops, mentoring programs, and partnerships with industry.

  • Foster Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Given the complexity of today’s global challenges, it is essential for researchers to be able to work across disciplines. HEIs should create more opportunities for interdisciplinary projects and collaborations, fostering a holistic approach to problem-solving that is crucial for addressing multifaceted societal issues.

  • Enhance Training in Project Management and Communication: To bridge the gap between academic training and the demands of the job market, HEIs should place a stronger focus on developing interpersonal and project management skills. This includes training in leadership, team dynamics, and effective communication strategies that enable researchers to convey their ideas clearly and persuasively to a wide range of audiences.

  • Align Academic Programs with Market Needs: Finally, HEIs must ensure that their training programs are aligned with the evolving needs of the job market. This can be achieved through ongoing dialogue with industry stakeholders, regular reviews of curriculum content, and the integration of skills assessments that mirror those used in the hiring processes of non-academic employers.

By implementing these recommendations, Higher Education Institutions can better prepare the next generation of researchers for the dynamic and evolving landscape of the global job market. Equipping young researchers with a broad range of transversal competencies will not only enhance their career prospects but also ensure that they can contribute meaningfully to addressing the complex challenges of our time. The future of research excellence lies in adaptability, collaboration, and the ability to translate knowledge into impactful solutions, and it starts with a comprehensive rethinking of how we train and support our researchers today.

First CATALISI Community of Practice (CoP) workshop!

First CATALISI Community of Practice (CoP) workshop!

Institutional changes are needed to reform the most important priorities and challenges for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) regarding institutional transformations towards the future.

With this in mind, the CATALISI supports seven European HEIs to pursue institutional transformation by intervening in specific domains through the adoption of targeted acceleration services. The CATALISI Community of Practice (CoP) is one of the acceleration services provided within the project. The CoP is composed of a group of people who share common interests, valuable expertise and experience in institutional transformation in HEIs, and that can feed the project activities with relevant expertise, methods, stories, tools, for the transformation of Higher Education Institution’s governance.

First CoP workshop will be held on November 7, 2023 (15:00-17:00 CET). The aim of this first CoP workshop is to share knowledge and experience between professionals and experts of the field of institutional transformation with the objective to: 

1) build collective knowledge around the topic of institutional transformation of HEIs in shared domains of interest 

2) provide advice, guidance and new ideas to CATALISI Higher Education Institutions, ultimately contributing to the acceleration of transformation in the governance of HEIs in different areas of intervention.


Selected speakers will focus on sharing their experiences and inspirational stories in institutional transformations of HEIs, by focusing on the following aspects:

  • Introduction to their project and domain of intervention
  • Good practices, approaches and strategies adopted to achieve institutional transformations in the R&I area
  • Obstacles and challenges faced to achieve transformative actions, how were these solved?
  • Recommendations to HEIs when facing institutional transformations.

Interested to join the first Community of Practice workshop? 
Sign up here!

How to boost open science in Spain: the new National Open Science Strategy (ENCA)

In 2023 the National Open Science Strategy (ENCA) was published in Spain. This strategy sets a series of measures and goals (promotion and strengthening of transparency, quality and reproducibility of research results) that have been promoted in the European Union for years, most recently through the European Research and Innovation Area. These issues are addressed by the ENCA with the aim of facilitating and promoting the creation of a national open science policy in Spain, also adapted to the international context. The ENCA has been developed by the Ministry of Science and Innovation through the General Secretary for Research, which created the Open Science Commission (OSC) at the end of 2018, coordinated by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT).

The importance of this strategy lies in the current way the scientific publication system functions. Currently, an important part of the gold open-access journals in which researchers have been encouraged to publish offer the possibility to do so in open access on the condition that researchers pay up to EUR 9,500. Money that has been generally covered by public funding. In addition to this, peer reviews are done by the researchers themselves for free. This way, researchers, and ultimately universities, have been moved to participate in a system where private entities are paid to allow access to knowledge that universities themselves produce, often, at least in Spain, with public funding. However, it is increasingly common for universities to have their own repositories where researchers upload their articles in open access.

The way in which scientific journals are being financed makes access to academic knowledge difficult. The ENCA seeks to alleviate these problems through a multidimensional approach to open science. Thus, six dimensions are distinguished around the concept of open science and its strategic implementation: open access to research results; open data, protocols and methodology; the creation of open source platforms; open peer review; the promotion of citizen science and the creation of new indicators for research assessment.

This way, the aim of ENCA is to address the question of researchers’ access to previous results and reflections so they can contrast and enrich their own studies. The actions promoted through this strategy can also derive into a transformation in the logics governing the assessment system within the research community: not only will it matter the journal’s impact factor when evaluating the worth of an article, but also how the reflections and results provided can contribute to generating knowledge with a positive impact on society.

The CATALISI project, in its implementation at Universitat Jaume I, seeks to develop interventions along the lines of ENCA. In addition to the funding of diamond journals[1] already being done at UJI, CATALISI aims to: promote the recognition of the use of public repositories as a good research practice and add peer reviewing in open access journals as a good practice in researcher assessment. Here it is worth highlighting the importance of mutual learning in the promotion of a sustainable open science, something promoted among CATALISI partners.

 

By: Carlota Carretero García, UJI

 

 

[1] Journals where all papers are open access and neither the readers or the authors need to pay for the publication.

Towards Sustainability of Research and Innovation – CATALISI workshop at UCC

Towards Sustainability of Research and Innovation - CATALISI workshop at UCC

Over 40 stakeholders from across the quadruple helix come together in Cork for a full day workshop to examine what’s needed to support sustainable and best practice research and innovation in the City and region.  

Aligned to the University College Corks Institutional Strategy, the EU Horizon Europe CATALISI initiative (Collaboration, Action, Transformation, Adaptation, Learning, Innovation, Sustainability, and Impact) invited stakeholders to deliberate on the topic of ‘Financial Sustainability for Research & Innovation’ 

University College Cork (UCC) is committed to delivering impactful R&I that addresses societal challenges; transforming research into meaningful policy; and delivering a highly skilled workforce as key enablers of future economic development and national competitiveness.  

This workshop initiated dialogue with internal and external stakeholders to explore what’s needed to accelerate transformation towards a more financially sustainable research and innovation ecosystem that enhances excellence and world-class research.  

Held on August 2nd 2023, the workshop kick starts a longer-term process for collaborating with stakeholders in Cork, listening to their needs, experience and expertise to understand the current landscape and explore issues, challenges, barriers and the conditions that affect and inform this critical area of university operations and external partnerships.  

The UCC CATALISI intervention area ‘Financial Sustainability for Research & Innovation’ directly spans two of the three CATALASI Intervention Domains: namely ‘Research Modus Operandi’ and ‘Finance’, with a strong relationship to the ‘Human Capital’ Domain.  

Framing the intervention area, UCC recognize that financial sustainability is integral and related to realizing sustainability in broader terms and within the context of a research and innovation eco-system that interacts at local, regional, national and international levels.    

In the morning, a committed and passionate group of internal UCC stakeholders focussed on university operations, while the afternoon provided an opportunity to listen deeply to the diverse perspectives of our external stakeholders.  

All participants considered (i) the local context and framework conditions for sustainable research and innovation, (ii) barriers to financial sustainability and (iii) stakeholders needs, values concerns and expectations.   

Throughout, facilitated discussions invited critical reflection on the research ecosystem and explored what’s needed to strengthen how it contributes to long-term development of Cork and the wider region, to address climate change, sustainable growth and ensure social cohesion.  

Additionally, stakeholders who were unable to attend on the day provided written inputs and many others expressed interest to engage with the ongoing work of the project, reflecting the strong local interest in the CATALISI initiative.  

As an output from the workshop, the Cork CATALASI team has collated inputs and feedback into a summary report which includes a high-level SWOT and snapshot of the current context for internal and external conditions.  This will be used as a launchpad for further engagement in Autumn 2023, where discussions will begin to ideate and co-create possible solutions and activities to respond to the challenges identified and support transformation towards more sustainable research and innovation.  

The workshop was co-led by the UCC CATALASI team, Dr Martin Galvin, Dr David O’Connell, David Hogan and Ciara O’Halloran, together with Joanna Karas from the European Network of Living Labs (ENOLL).  

Recognition of qualifications, role of the society and sustainability on campus – CATALISI workshop at UG

Recognition of qualifications, role of the society and sustainability on campus – CATALISI workshop at UG

The workshop on “Transformational Changes with CATALISI Stakeholders” at the University of Gdańsk (UG) aimed to explore and discuss the concept of catalyzing transformative changes through stakeholder engagement. This workshop recognized the importance of collaboration, innovation, and shared responsibility in driving positive societal and environmental impact.

With the acronym CATALISI representing Collaboration, Action, Transformation, Adaptation, Learning, Innovation, Sustainability, and Impact, this workshop brings together diverse stakeholders from academia, industry, government, civil society, and the local community. The University of Gdańsk serves as a dynamic platform for fostering dialogue, exchange of ideas, and collective action towards achieving sustainable and transformative outcomes.

All key stakeholders, both internal and external, were invited to participate in a workshop, co-led together by UG team – prof. Sylwia Mrozowska, Phd Sebastian Susmarski and Phd Katarzyna Markiewicz – and Joanna Karas (ENoLL) on June 16th 2023 at University of Gdańsk (UG).

During this workshop, participants have engaged in interactive sessions, presentations, and discussions to explore the potential of collaboration and stakeholder engagement in driving transformative changes. The focus was be on addressing pressing the three major intervention areas:

– Human Capital;

– Research Modus Operandi;

– Finance.

By convening stakeholders with various perspectives, expertise, and experiences, this workshop aimed to facilitate knowledge sharing, to inspire innovative approaches, and foster partnerships that can lead to actionable solutions and impactful outcomes. Participants had the opportunity to exchange best practices, learn from success stories, and identify pathways for transformative changes within universities main intervention areas include:

– the recognition of qualifications and research careers;

– the public engagement with and outreach to society to solve social challenges;

– the sustainability in campus.

The outcomes of the workshop will serve as the primary contribution towards advancing the strategy for addressing the three challenges. These challenges will be tackled through concrete actions and bolstered by acceleration services. The workshop results will provide valuable insights and recommendations that will guide the development of the strategy, ensuring a comprehensive and effective approach to overcoming the identified obstacles. The aim is to create a framework that integrates targeted actions with the necessary support services to successfully tackle these challenges and drive meaningful progress.

Transformational changes underway – CATALISI workshop at UJI

Reform of research assessment & culture: CATALISI workshop at AUMC

As part of the series of CATALISI workshops that aim at transformation changes withing seven universities, on July 3rd CATALISI partners Universitat Jaume I (Castellón, Spain) as well as European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL) introduced the project and engaged stakeholders while focusing on CATALISI intervention areas.

UJI’s workshop was divided into two parts. The first one was focused on UJI’s internal needs as an implementor whereas the second one focussed on the interaction between internal and external stakeholders (academia, business, civil society, public administrations) that exchanged and discussed their experiences.

The topics that were discussed in the first session were “research assessment, recognition of research careers and gender equality” and “public engagement and citizen science”. The participants were divided into these two thematic groups according to their expertise. Later, in the second part of the session, internal and external stakeholders discussed, again in two separate groups (according to their expertise), the topics of “gender equality” and “public engagement and citizen science”.

The diversity of the internal stakeholders, as well as the strive for the necessary transformation could be seen through the ones attending the session – from UJI’s vice rectors (of research, social policies and innovation and science outreach) to technicians with expertise on specific areas. Also, external stakeholders from different business in Castellón (specially focused on tourism), local administrations and civil society (ethical committee for tourism, local foundation for gender equality) attended the second part of the session.

The workshop was closed as a very successful one, engaging the stakeholders from quadruple helix and providing necessary feedback to implementors and just first in the line, so stay tuned for more information and insights that our stakeholders will share!

Acceleration Services in support of the institutional transformation of Higher Education Institutions

Acceleration Services in support of the institutional transformation of Higher Education Institutions

On May 30th, 2023, APRE, a partner of the WIDERA NCP project ‘WIDERA.NET’ and the coordinator of the CATALISI project, conducted a training session for WIDERA National Contact Points.

NCP WIDERA.NET identifies and shares good practices within the NCP community and raises the standard of support provided by NCPs to applicants. It also enables the transnational network of NCPs to better address cross-cutting objectives such as gender equality and open science.

The training focused on “Acceleration Services in support of the institutional transformation of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)”. The APRE team, working on the CATALISI project, along with two other projects funded under the same topic, namely the aUPaEU project coordinated by Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya and the Accelerate_FutureHEI project coordinated by University Industry Innovation Network BV, presented their approaches to supporting HEIs in implementing strategies and individual pathways for institutional transformation.

 

We believe that training events organized with CATALISI sibling projects that deal with Institutional transformation of HEIs through acceleration services, are of foremost importance to create synergies and share points of view on how to achieve sustainable institutional transformation of research organizations towards R&I. As a follow-up of the training event, the three projects are in fact starting to collaborate on the development of policy recommendations for HEIs' institutional transformation.

During the training, the coordinators provided an overview of the aims and methodologies of their respective projects. They emphasized how acceleration services can assist HEIs in successfully implementing transformation strategies and roadmaps. These services include creating a shared knowledge base, offering coaching services, and providing a virtual meeting platform for HEIs to connect with peers, ecosystem actors, investors, and public funders.

The training concluded with an engaging Q&A session, where participants delved deeper into how these projects can be utilized to support the institutional transformation of HEIs in Research and Innovation (R&I) across Europe.

 

 

What’s next?

Follow CATALISI and stay tuned for our upcoming activities:

Be part of a lively group of people interested and experts in institutional transformation of HEIs. You will advise and guide our Implementers on the topic of Institutional transformation towards the future, and at the same time benefit from knowledge sharing, networking and capacity building opportunities during the project.

  • September 2023: First Webinar on HEIs institutional transformations in the domain of “Gender & Inclusiveness”: follow CATALISI learning hub to watch the recording and access the materials.
  • Upcoming Mutual learning activities and workshops for Implementers and CoP members: stay tuned!

More about our “sister” projects:

Accelerate Future HEI (Accelerating support for university transformation) will apply a robust, comprehensive methodology that builds on the status quo and develops a connected vision and set of activities that provide each institution with a tailored transformation action plan. Experts specialised in implementing acceleration services will guide the universities through coaching, training and international knowledge exchange to help them achieve their desired entrepreneurship, innovation and engagement goals.

aUPaEU (A University Partnership for Acceleration of European Universities) ultimate purpose is to develop methodologies, sustainability plans, coaching services, and tangible digital technologies to give an acceleration agora. HEIs, university networks, and alliances will achieve integrated, shared, and long-term R&I transformations through this accelerated agora. These transformations are intended to focus on six major areas of the HEI transformation agenda: capacity, infrastructure, and resource sharing; researcher career attractiveness; collaboration with R&I ecosystem actors; open science; societal outreach; and gender equality.

CATALISI Kick Off Meeting

CATALISI Kick Off Meeting

CATALISI is an EU-funded project consisting of 11 partners from 8 EU Member States. The consortium gathered in Rome on 26th and 27th of January to kick off the project that will last 36 months and whose aim is to help and support Higher Education Institutions (HEI) to successfully implement a strategy and individual pathway for institutional transformation. 

The project will analyse how the governance of Higher Education Institutions can be changed, considering the governance as a way in which societal and state actors intentionally interact in order to transform Science Technology and Innovation systems, by regulating issues of societal concern.

While the first day of the kick off meeting focused on sharing and accessing the expertise of the partners, division of the tasks and timeline of activities throughout the project, the second day was dedicated to discussions on stakeholder engagement. CATALISI will provide 7 acceleration services in 3 domains and split its efforts between the implementors and facilitators. In addition to the acceleration services, CATALISI will initiate a dedicated space on its website for exchange of knowledge, matchmaking and funding opportunities as well as gathering inputs from implementors and third parties (Learning Hub).

In order to boost the impact of the project and apply CATALISI findings wider, the project will engage in creating a Community of Practice composed of a group of people who share expertise and experiences in institutional transformation in HEI.

Partners who will participate and are in charge of successful implementation of the project are:

AGENZIA PER LA PROMOZIONE DELLA RICERCA EUROPEA | ERNST & YOUNG BUSINESS SCHOOL SCUOLA DI MANAGEMENT SRL | F6S NETWORK IRELAND LIMITED | EUROPEAN NETWORK OF LIVING LABS IVZW | KAUNO TECHNOLOGIJOS UNIVERSITETAS | UNIVERSITAT JAUME I DE CASTELLON | LUISS LIBERA UNIVERSITA INTERNAZIONALE DEGLI STUDI SOCIALI GUIDO CARLI | UNIWERSYTET GDANSKI | UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CORK | ARISTOTELIO PANEPISTIMIO THESSALONIKIS | STICHTING VUMC

 

Stay tuned for next CATALISI activities!