The Government of Catalonia has commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Industrial Doctorates Plan with the publication of the book "Industrial Doctorates: 10 years of collaborative research in Catalonia", a book that represents a decade of collaborative effort between the academic world and the socioeconomic environment of Catalonia. The 10th anniversary celebration, which took place on Tuesday 3 October at the Palau de la Música, was the setting for the presentation of the book by the programme's academic director, Albert Sangrà.
The book introduces a retrospective view of the origin and evolution of industrial doctorates, underlining the essential contribution of knowledge and doctoral staff to the economic and social progress of Catalonia.
With a structure of nine chapters, the book exposes the impact and contributions of the Industrial Doctorates Plan from its beginnings to the present. Through various perspectives – institutional, academic and business – an evolutionary analysis of the Plan is carried out, in addition to presenting a comparison with international industrial doctorate programs, highlighting the positive impact of these on the labor insertion of doctoral staff in non-academic environments.
In addition, the book illustrates a significant change in trend in the employability of doctoral staff, showing an increase in employment in the non-academic private sector, from 43% in 2008 to 59% in 2020. The book also echoes the need for public policies that promote the valorization of doctoral staff in non-academic environments, aligning with the trends observed in European reference countries.
With this work, the Government of Catalonia not only celebrates the achievements of the Industrial Doctorates Plan, but also contributes to the debate on the value and potential of doctoral staff in the socioeconomic development of Catalonia.
