DOCTORAL PROGRAMME FOR INTEGRATED RESEARCH ACTIVITIES TO UNLOCK A POTENTIAL OF TOP-LEVEL RESEARCHERS IN DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION FOR SUSTAINABILITY

Project Information

PERSEUS

Grant agreement ID: 101034240

DOI

10.3030/101034240

EC signature date 27 April 2021

Start date 1 June 2021

End date 31 May 2027

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 6 508 800,00

EU contribution

€ 3 254 400,00

Coordinated by

NORGES TEKNISK-NATURVITENSKAPELIGE UNIVERSITET NTNU
Norway

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PERSEUS (DOCTORAL PROGRAMME FOR INTEGRATED RESEARCH ACTIVITIES TO UNLOCK A POTENTIAL OF TOP-LEVEL RESEARCHERS IN DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION FOR SUSTAINABILITY)

Reporting period: 2021-06-01 to 2023-05-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Digital technologies have developed very rapidly, faster than any other innovation in our history. Digital technologies can help to solve many world's problems such as health, sustainability etc., but technologies can also threaten privacy and erode security. They have implications for human rights and human agency. Digital technologies have undoubtedly impacted citizens, businesses and society as a whole. Digital transformation is the result of digitization and modernization of societies. It facilitates improvement, renewal and creation of something new and provides brand new opportunities and perspectives for radical change and innovation in almost every value chain, industry and business model. Digital transformation involves a wide range of digital technologies, from 5G to Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and Internet of Things. Their rapid evolvement requires new knowledge and skills, novel concepts and approaches that makes the higher education institutions to be the frontier runners in the process of digital transformation.

The transformative research involves ideas, discoveries and tools that radically change an understanding of existing scientific or engineering concept and includes educational practice that may lead to the creation of a new paradigm in science and education. Such research questions alter the current understanding and provide pathways to new frontiers. The PERSEUS Doctoral Programme builds upon this initiative and further enhances the NTNU vision, activities and dedication to become a key contributor towards digital transformation along the sustainable development goals.

The PERSEUS DP is a unique and complex framework programme. PERSEUS considers that only an integrated knowledge development along thematic areas in synchronization with interdisciplinary skills would lead to a paradigm shift, produce research outcomes of an outstanding scientific quality and contribute to all sustainable development goals. The integrated approach has been embedded in the conceptual design of the PERSEUS DP and is reflected in supervision schemes, substantial training modules, interactions via workshops, conferences and hybrid seminars and further enhanced by international and intersectoral mobility options. Such integrated and multi-level approach will foster the ESR groups learning, lead to better scientific outcomes and enable solving the societal challenges in a unique way.

PERSEUS DP planned to employ 40 PhD candidates with an aim to pursue transformative research on design, development and application of digital technologies along the strategic business sectors in Norway. The project uses a set of digital skills and transferable skills, adopts interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach and explores opportunities presented by national and international partners from academia and industry to prepare the top-level researchers who contribute to smart, safe and sustainable future. The career perspectives of the PhD candidates will be boosted by short-term placements at academic partners, and short-term placements at companies or public entities that have established their R&D teams in Norway.

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 PERSEUS ESRs originally should be recruited within two open calls, in fair and transparent selection processes. Due to the struggles with the recruitment of qualified candidates the number of calls was extended. The first call was launched on 2 August 2021 with 23 positions followed by an extra call with 9 positions announced on 1 March 2022. The second PERSEUS call was launched on 1 August 2022 with 20 positions, followed by another announcement of 13 positions on 15 December 2022 and next one with 5 positions on the 27 February 2023.
In each of the call, the applicants were provided with all the necessary information about the call that they could find on the PERSEUS website and in the vacancy’s announcements.

Out of 23 positions announced in the first call only 13 positions found qualified candidates thus an extra call was introduced to compensate for the unfilled positions. Out of 9 positions announced in the extra call only 2 candidates were employed. Out of 20 positions announced in the 2 call only 5 positions found qualified candidates. Out of 13 positions announced in the December 2022 extra call most possibly 8 positions will get qualified candidates. 7 candidates have already accepted their offers, but 1 position is still under export control. In the February 2023 extra call 5 positions were announced and it looks like two positions will get the qualified candidates, although one of the offers is still waiting for the acceptance. Overall, after all the completed calls at least 9 positions out of 40 planned PhD positions have not found qualified candidates and they need to be re-announced. It must be mentioned that the export knowledge control had a significant impact on the PERSEUS recruitment process. In many cases it prevented the potentially good candidates to be selected and very often it delayed the entire process remarkably.
By the 31.05.2023 20 fellows started their PhD contracts. Unfortunately, one PhD candidate left the project after 8 months of studies due to personal reasons.
PERSEUS project would need to be extended, since the candidates from the December 2022 and February 2023 calls would not be able to complete their 3 years studies in the timeframe of the project, since majority of them will not start their employments before 1 June 2023, due to the long waiting period for visa application etc.
Four main factors influenced significantly the recruitment process, a) export control, b) requirement of master degree's completion by the call deadline, c) inability of duty work for ESRs such as teaching, d) inability of employing Norwegian candidates which is crucial in some sectors as information security.

Majority of fellows have already completed training in some of the transferable skills courses, especially ethics course which is mandatory at NTNU.
By the reporting period none of the fellows completed their short international or industry stays. An intensive doctoral training was provided during PERSEUS kick-off with a main focus on PhD at NTNU and at the first annual workshop that were held in April 2022 and November 2022, respectively. The first annual workshop was co-located with the main conference in the area of Big Data and AI where fellows could connect and interact with many actors and representatives of large companies in that field, discuss issues related to technology, which might have direct impact on their research.

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)

- Breaking down barriers between disciplines
– Designed to pass on lessons of real-life collaborative and inter-disciplinary research
- Synergy between academia and technology
– Industry exposure for wider perspectives in career prospects
- Unique research facilities
- Technical-scientific skills in digitalization will lead to improved employability

In October 2024, when all PhD fellows will be in place, there will be organized courses in research leadership and communication science. The courses aiming to support the researchers to develop a long-term research career via publications in high ranking international journals within and across disciplines, public speaking and strategic leadership.

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