Abstract
One of the many varieties of university–industry collaboration is industry engagement in doctoral programmes. A scheme operated by the Development Fund of the Swedish Construction Industry since the early 1990s has supported thesis projects for about 150 PhD candidates. While they were doctoral students they were employed by contractors as industrial doctoral candidates or by universities. The purpose of this investigation was to analyse how, as PhD graduates, they perceived the benefits of doctoral studies for themselves as individuals and also how they have contributed to the organization that employs them. Results from a survey with 125 respondents show that the greatest individual benefit is that of being able to access relevant information more rapidly, and that the greatest perceived organizational benefit arises from their ability to cooperate with knowledgeable clients.
Highlights
One of the many varieties of university–industry collaboration is industry engagement in doctoral programmes
One of the many varieties of university–industry collaboration (Sjooand Hellstrom, 2019) is industry engagement in doctoral programmes (Thune, 2009), and in particular when firms support what are known as industrial PhD candidates, implying that the PhD candidates remain as industry employees while pursuing their doctoral studies
A construction industry scheme for supporting PhD thesis projects has functioned since the early 1990s in Sweden and offers an opportunity to study the effects of such measures
Summary
One of the many varieties of university–industry collaboration is industry engagement in doctoral programmes. A scheme operated by the Development Fund of the Swedish Construction Industry since the early 1990s has supported thesis projects for about 150 PhD candidates While they were doctoral students they were employed by contractors as industrial doctoral candidates or by universities. Industry may sponsor, through project grants, at least part of the work on a thesis project regardless of the nature of the employer Today, these mechanisms are operative in a number of countries and industries, including construction. These mechanisms are operative in a number of countries and industries, including construction While such arrangements have been the subject of earlier investigations, it has seldom been possible to compare the effects of having undertaken doctoral-level education as a university or industry employee. The annual grant volume is about MSEK 30, corresponding to about 3 million euro
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