Social network tools and procedures for developing entrepreneurial skills in PhD programmes

Project Information

prodPhD

Grant agreement ID: 101005985

DOI

10.3030/101005985

Project closed

EC signature date 10 November 2020

Start date 1 January 2021

End date 28 February 2023

Funded under

• Make scientific and technological careers attractive to young students, and forster sustainable interaction between schools, research institutions, industry and civil society organisations

Total cost

€ 298 781,25

EU contribution

€ 298 781,25

Coordinated by

CENTRE INTERNACIONAL DE METODES NUMERICS EN ENGINYERIA
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - prodPhD (Social network tools and procedures for developing entrepreneurial skills in PhD programmes)

Reporting period: 2021-01-01 to 2023-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The project ‘Social network tools and procedures for developing entrepreneurial skills in PhD programmes’ (prodPhD) has developed and delivered a toolbox, integrating innovative methodologies, training materials and customized collaborative software tools, to help fostering entrepreneurship learning for PhD candidates of any discipline.

In particular, prodPhD has demonstrated, through different pilot actions, a social network-based training methodology, which will include the necessary teaching guidelines and specific “learning by doing” materials for entrepreneurship training. The infrastructure for these activities, the so-called ‘prodPhD Online Training Environment’, has been built as a microsite of the open science platform Scipedia.com and is openly offered to the higher education community.

The final mission of prodPhD has been to facilitate the teaching and learning of multidisciplinary entrepreneurship in any PhD programme by offering open access social network-based methodologies and tools. prodPhD aims to improve the relevance, accessibility, inclusiveness, innovativeness, and quality of entrepreneurial learning in European universities.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project has developed a digital `learning by doing’ methodology for multidisciplinary entrepreneurship training in higher education institutions. This methodology was crafted with great care, based on a thorough analysis of the needs and requirements of twenty universities from sixteen European countries. The outcome of this process is a set of guidelines that define the structure of the training modules proposed by the project.

To further enhance the effectiveness of this methodology, an existing training module was carefully adapted to align with the aforementioned guidelines. Moreover, a microsite was created on the collaborative web platform Scipedia.com specifically tailored to meet the technical requirements of the training methodology. This microsite is known as the 'prodPhD Online Training Environment' and has been used to conduct various pilot exercises with doctoral candidates from several European universities.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The project responds to the need of finding innovative and more effective ways of developing entrepreneurial mind-sets among PhD candidates, and using the digital technologies to narrow the gap between the academic and the professional world.

The project's output is expected to significantly impact the innovation potential of future PhD candidates. By employing the training methodology developed by the project, PhD candidates can acquire a diverse set of skills that can result in a substantial increase in their innovation and entrepreneurship potential. Additionally, the universities involved in this initiative can establish themselves as pioneers in innovative entrepreneurial skills training for PhD candidates, enhancing the societal impact of their research outcomes.

Furthermore, the outcome of the project is anticipated to have a significant impact on participating organizations through the integration of the developed toolbox into their programs. Other organizations involved in the project can benefit from the widespread dissemination of their activities, as well as gain valuable experience in training methodologies and skill development. Moreover, the project is expected to improve their services and expand their technology offerings, thanks to the knowledge gained through their involvement in prodPhD.

In the long term, initiatives like prodPhD can have a measurable impact on the competitiveness and innovativeness of EU economies, by promoting an entrepreneurial mindset among young people.

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