Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EINST4INE (European Training Network for InduStry Digital Transformation across Innovation Ecosystems)
Berichtszeitraum: 2021-01-01 bis 2022-12-31
Digital trends are transforming business worldwide, fundamentally changing the way organisations operate, and reshaping work and society. The success of industrial digital transformation is dependent on highly skilled individuals that are open-minded, creative, and possess multidisciplinary capabilities.
The primary goal of EINST4INE (the European Training Network for Industry Digital Transformation across Innovation Ecosystems) is to cultivate a new generation of highly skilled Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs) in innovation and technology management through comprehensive training and knowledge-building within the broadly defined field of industry digital transformation across innovation ecosystems.
Drawing on world-class research and practice across various disciplines underpinning digital transformations (including open innovation, industry 4.0 innovation ecosystems), this interdisciplinary and intersectoral programme aims to examine how digital transformation changes business logic in multiple and diverse industries and enables the emergence and further development of innovation ecosystems.
This is addressed in four research sub-objectives:
- develop a knowledge base on the human side of digital transformation including new ways of working through human-machine interaction;
- examine organizational approaches to successfully coordinate digital initiatives as well as embed digital tools and methods to support complex strategic decision-making processes;
- to examine how technologies enable innovation ecosystem emergence, mechanisms, and strategies for capturing value from technology-enabled innovation ecosystems;
- explore and identify novel approaches of innovation ecosystem orchestration.
EINST4INE aims to address current digital transformation research gaps through individual, organizational, and ecosystem perspectives, and by undertaking a holistic analysis of various industries and innovation ecosystems.
The primary goal of EINST4INE (the European Training Network for Industry Digital Transformation across Innovation Ecosystems) is to cultivate a new generation of highly skilled Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs) in innovation and technology management through comprehensive training and knowledge-building within the broadly defined field of industry digital transformation across innovation ecosystems.
Drawing on world-class research and practice across various disciplines underpinning digital transformations (including open innovation, industry 4.0 innovation ecosystems), this interdisciplinary and intersectoral programme aims to examine how digital transformation changes business logic in multiple and diverse industries and enables the emergence and further development of innovation ecosystems.
This is addressed in four research sub-objectives:
- develop a knowledge base on the human side of digital transformation including new ways of working through human-machine interaction;
- examine organizational approaches to successfully coordinate digital initiatives as well as embed digital tools and methods to support complex strategic decision-making processes;
- to examine how technologies enable innovation ecosystem emergence, mechanisms, and strategies for capturing value from technology-enabled innovation ecosystems;
- explore and identify novel approaches of innovation ecosystem orchestration.
EINST4INE aims to address current digital transformation research gaps through individual, organizational, and ecosystem perspectives, and by undertaking a holistic analysis of various industries and innovation ecosystems.
Within the 1st reporting period, the EINST4INE Consortium focused on the competitive and international recruitment of the 15 Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs), their training at the host institutions, and complementary activities. Some key achievements of EINST4INE so far include:
- Successful recruitment and selection campaign that was carefully planned and executed in the first months of the project. Activities included the development of collaterals (e.g. the promotional video with nearly 7,000 views), and widely advertising publicly the 15 positions across channels, media, websites, and social networks.
- Organisation of four full Consortium events (Orientation Bootcamp, Digital Innovation Bootcamp, First Summer School and Robotics Workshop), emphasizing networking, research and transferable skills trainings, knowledge transfer between academia and industry within and beyond Consortium members. The programme of the events was carefully designed to best kick-start the PhD journey and included lectures from academic and non-academic speakers, interactive workshops (e.g. on strategic roadmapping, research impact, how to strategically build networks and social media presence), discussions, industry-challenges, team-building sessions, presentations of research to scientific and non-scientific audience, poster sessions, as well as company visits. Most sessions were open to the public to increase dissemination of the project’s knowledge.
- Submission of four scientific reports that were collaboratively developed engaging ESRs with industry partners and external stakeholders providing valuable inputs and assisting in developing case studies.
- First industry secondments and conference presentations by ESRs, exposing them to broader innovation communities – including academics and practitioners (presentations by ESRs took place during ISPIM, R&D Management, OUI, EURAM, MEMEA, among others).
- Establishment of EINST4INE Reading Club for ESRs that entailed fifteen sessions of critical analysis of the most significant literature in digital transformation and thereby equipping them with a core body of knowledge on the relevant subject matter and on essential research skills to undertake literature reviews, analysis, and synthesis.
- Development of EINSt4INE visual identity and building social media presence. (e.g. EINST4INE LinkedIn has over 1,000 followers and is used to actively promote the project, its results and profiles of the participating researchers and organisations). ESRs also actively contribute to dissemination of the project activities through channels such as the ESRs Blog. Furthermore, in 2022, five ESRs have been spotlighted on MSCA social networks as “Fellow of the week”.
- Successful recruitment and selection campaign that was carefully planned and executed in the first months of the project. Activities included the development of collaterals (e.g. the promotional video with nearly 7,000 views), and widely advertising publicly the 15 positions across channels, media, websites, and social networks.
- Organisation of four full Consortium events (Orientation Bootcamp, Digital Innovation Bootcamp, First Summer School and Robotics Workshop), emphasizing networking, research and transferable skills trainings, knowledge transfer between academia and industry within and beyond Consortium members. The programme of the events was carefully designed to best kick-start the PhD journey and included lectures from academic and non-academic speakers, interactive workshops (e.g. on strategic roadmapping, research impact, how to strategically build networks and social media presence), discussions, industry-challenges, team-building sessions, presentations of research to scientific and non-scientific audience, poster sessions, as well as company visits. Most sessions were open to the public to increase dissemination of the project’s knowledge.
- Submission of four scientific reports that were collaboratively developed engaging ESRs with industry partners and external stakeholders providing valuable inputs and assisting in developing case studies.
- First industry secondments and conference presentations by ESRs, exposing them to broader innovation communities – including academics and practitioners (presentations by ESRs took place during ISPIM, R&D Management, OUI, EURAM, MEMEA, among others).
- Establishment of EINST4INE Reading Club for ESRs that entailed fifteen sessions of critical analysis of the most significant literature in digital transformation and thereby equipping them with a core body of knowledge on the relevant subject matter and on essential research skills to undertake literature reviews, analysis, and synthesis.
- Development of EINSt4INE visual identity and building social media presence. (e.g. EINST4INE LinkedIn has over 1,000 followers and is used to actively promote the project, its results and profiles of the participating researchers and organisations). ESRs also actively contribute to dissemination of the project activities through channels such as the ESRs Blog. Furthermore, in 2022, five ESRs have been spotlighted on MSCA social networks as “Fellow of the week”.
The main progress and impact of the EINSt4INE project is built around enhancing the career perspectives and employability of researchers and contribution to their skills development.
- Significant efforts have been made from early days to jointly develop comprehensive training programs that leverage expertise of different European and Australian universities, exploiting their complementary competences, taking into consideration valuable input and advise of non-academic experts. These activities build a comprehensive set of skills and tools that, combined with supervision and mentoring arrangements, and an exposure to different sectors and environments, are expected to increase their employability and improve their career prospects both in and outside academia.
Other expected results until the end of the project include:
- Developed knowledge base across broader four thematic areas of digital transformation captured in reports, whitepapers, and scientific journals, and disseminated through various means (e.g. social media, conference presentations, workshops)
- From a gender balance perspective, out of the 15 recruited ESRs, 9 are female. EINST4INE contributes to providing career booster opportunities to women in the field of Digital Transformation and Innovation, and it includes cross-cultural and gender aspects in research and practice, which will be reflected both in the career opportunities of the ESRs and their research work.
- Long-lasting cooperation mechanisms have been initiated and will continue as the project progresses, and beyond. EINST4INE has established an engaged network that will create future opportunities of collaboration.
- Significant efforts have been made from early days to jointly develop comprehensive training programs that leverage expertise of different European and Australian universities, exploiting their complementary competences, taking into consideration valuable input and advise of non-academic experts. These activities build a comprehensive set of skills and tools that, combined with supervision and mentoring arrangements, and an exposure to different sectors and environments, are expected to increase their employability and improve their career prospects both in and outside academia.
Other expected results until the end of the project include:
- Developed knowledge base across broader four thematic areas of digital transformation captured in reports, whitepapers, and scientific journals, and disseminated through various means (e.g. social media, conference presentations, workshops)
- From a gender balance perspective, out of the 15 recruited ESRs, 9 are female. EINST4INE contributes to providing career booster opportunities to women in the field of Digital Transformation and Innovation, and it includes cross-cultural and gender aspects in research and practice, which will be reflected both in the career opportunities of the ESRs and their research work.
- Long-lasting cooperation mechanisms have been initiated and will continue as the project progresses, and beyond. EINST4INE has established an engaged network that will create future opportunities of collaboration.