The Industrial Doctorate (DI) Plan has a high satisfaction rate among participating agents, as well as a high percentage of job placement and a very relevant index of scientific production and patents. These are the main conclusions of the evaluation report to identify the impact and return of the Industrial Doctorate projects, a program promoted by the Department of Research and Universities since 2012 with the aim of responding to the challenge of knowledge and technology transfer and its application in the country's productive fabric.
In the opinion of the Minister of Research and Universities, the results of the evaluation “ allow us to confirm that Industrial Doctorates promote effective collaboration between academic and business environments, which makes them a very useful knowledge transfer policy for connecting companies, institutions and the research ecosystem and universities ”. Minister Montserrat also highlighted other relevant aspects of the Plan, such as “ the high employability of industrial doctors, the demonstrated capacity to generate new knowledge and the involvement of the agents who contribute to their success ”.
Satisfaction, employment and results
The results of the evaluation report highlight the high level of satisfaction of the agents participating in the industrial doctoral projects. When asked if they would participate in an industrial doctoral project again, 96% of thesis directors responded positively, while 91% of company managers and 89% of doctoral students would also repeat.
Regarding the employment rates of industrial doctors, the survey carried out reveals that 75% are inserted in companies and institutions, mostly in the same company where the project has been developed, 15% in research centers and 10% in universities. In addition, 83% of doctorates have permanent contracts and 66% have improved working conditions.
Regarding the degree of protection of the results of the research carried out within the framework of the program, it is worth noting that 25% of the projects have resulted in a patent or other mechanisms for protecting the results.
Likewise, the evaluation also reflects a high level of scientific, business and general media production: 40% of the projects have culminated in three or four scientific publications and 18% have generated five or more. Similarly, 46% have produced publications in specialized business journals and 33% in general media.
Among other indicators, the evaluation report has also measured the mobility and internationalization actions specified within the outline of the Plan, from which it is concluded that 37% of doctoral students have carried out research stays, 20% training stays in companies or institutions and up to 24% have presented doctoral theses with international mention.
The evaluation also foresees several lines of improvement to be implemented in future editions of the Industrial Doctorates Plan. These include the option of extending the duration of the project and the grant from three to four years or increasing public funding for companies and institutions, as well as research groups at universities and research centers. It also proposes to encourage the internationalization of IDs, promote the Plan in business environments to increase its level of knowledge or encourage the creation of a community of industrial doctorates.
Consolidated plan since 2012
The DI evaluation report has been prepared with the support and co-financing of the Promotion Fund for the Evaluation of Public Policies (PROAVA) of the Department of Economy and Finance based on the 491 projects from 346 companies and institutions awarded in the period 2013-2018. The sample obtained, corresponding to the percentage of responses obtained in all the instruments used, was 54.8% of thesis directors; 36.6% of doctoral students, and 33.2% of company managers.
Over the course of more than a decade, the Pla de Di has consolidated a collaborative research model that has allowed knowledge to be valued, scientific talent to be incorporated and retained, the competitiveness of the productive fabric to be enhanced and highly qualified jobs to be generated in the country's productive fabric.
