University-Industry Collaboration in Higher Education: Exploring the Informing Flows Framework in Industrial PhD Education

Abstract

Aim/Purpose: The aim is to explore the informing flows framework as interactions within a PhD education practicing a work-integrated learning approach in order to reveal both the perspectives of industrial PhD students and of industry. Background: An under-researched field of university-industry collaboration is explored revealing both the perspectives of industrial PhD students and of industry. Methodology: Qualitative methods were applied including interviews and document studies. In total ten semi-structured interviews in two steps were conducted. The empirical context is a Swedish PhD program in informatics with a specialization in work-integrated learning. Contribution: By broadening the concept of work-integrated learning, this paper contributes empirical results on benefits and challenges in university-industry collaboration focusing on industrial PhD students and industry by applying the informing flows framework. Findings: Findings expose novel insights for industry as well as academia. The industrial PhD students are key stakeholders and embody the informing flows between practice and university and between practice and research. They are spanning boundaries between university and industry generating continuous opportunities for validation and testing of empirical results and models in industry. This may enable increased research quality and short-lag dissemination of research results as well as strengthened organizational legitimacy. Recommendation for Researchers: Academia is recommended to recognize the value of the industrial PhD students’ pre-understanding of the industry context in the spirit of work-integrated learning approach. The conditions for informing flows between research and practice need to continuously be maintained to enable short-term societal impact of research for both academia and industry. For practitioners: This explorative study show that it is vital for practice to recognize that challenges do exist and need to be considered to strengthen industrial PhD pro-grams as well as university-industry collaborations. Additionally, it is of importance to formalize a continuously dissemination of research in the industries. Future Research: Future international and/or transdisciplinary research within this field is encouraged to include larger samples covering other universities and a mix of industrial contexts or comparing industrial PhD students in different phases of their PhD education.

Guest editorial: Learning capabilities for future work practices

“…Besides of the digital transformation, organizations face complex problems that require new information, knowledge and competences to make informed decisions where the outcomes are not known in advance. Dealing with complex issues, learning and collaboration are fundamental in all sectors of society to include various perspectives and competences across organizational borders (Bernhard and Olsson, 2020). Collaboration for organizational learning may be based on inclusion of employees, internal and external stakeholders, a learning climate, trust, transparency, systematic employee development and encouragement for constant experimentation and learning (Battistella, et al , 2021; Bernhard and Wihlborg, 2021; Olsson et al , 2021).…”

One foot in academia and one in work-life – the case of Swedish industrial PhD students

“…The importance of doctoral education is recognized in contemporary society and there is an emerging interest for university–industry collaboration in doctoral education (Bernhard and Olsson, 2020; Bin et al , 2016; Borrell-Damian et al , 2010, 2015; Gustavsson et al , 2016; Jones, 2018; Roolaht, 2015). Doctoral education has rapidly expanded, encouraged by higher education policies (Hasgall et al , 2019; Santos and Patricio, 2020) and transformed along with societal needs and labor markets for PhDs, as doctoral education today does not merely aim for academic careers (Jones, 2018; Malfroy, 2011; Valencia-Forrester, 2019).…”

“…Different concepts, and forms of doctoral education collaboration with industry exist world-wide e.g. professional doctorate (Fulton et al , 2022; Jones, 2018; Lee et al , 2009; Wildy et al , 2015) business doctorate for executives (Gill and Mullarkey, 2015), hybrid trajectories of doctoral students (Santos and Patricio, 2020) and industrial PhD education (Berg and McKelvey, 2020; Bernhard and Olsson, 2020).…”

“…Recent academy adaptations of different hybridized models for doctoral education call for further research following the emerging new landscape of doctoral educations (Bernhard and Olsson, 2020; Borrell-Damian et al , 2015; Jones, 2018; Lee et al , 2009; Wildy et al , 2015). The present study seeks to correspond to this research gap by exploring alternative doctoral educations in Sweden, here industrial PhD students referring to students who originate from and are fully employed in industry (company or organization) while pursuing their PhD education, i.e.…”

Industrial PhD Education – Exploring Doctoral Students Acting in the Intersection of Academia and Work-Life

“…Accordingly, industrial PhD students are acting in the intersection of academia and work-life, but with the same academic demands as traditionally enrolled academic PhD students. As argued by Bernhard and Olsson (2020), industrial PhD students may be viewed as key stakeholders embodying the informing flows, i.e., interactions between practice and university and between practice and research, offering opportunities for validation and testing of empirical results and models. Earlier research stresses that industrial PhD students act as brokers of knowledge spanning the boundaries between academia and industry (Assbring & Nuur, 2017;Berg & McKelvey, 2020;Gustavsson et al, 2016;Kuntuu et al, 2018;Thune, 2009), while at the same time struggling with dual cultures and expectations Kihlander et al, 2011;.…”