(DC10) 1 Ph.D. position on Product Innovation (Paid Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow, offered by “AGORA” project under grant agreement no 101119937)

The position (Ph.D. Candidate) is part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks Industrial Doctorates (MSCA-DN-ID) Project AGORA - trAining younG researchers On shaping Metaverse for business and social vAlue. The recruited researchers will be ‘Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellows’. Recruitment involves physical mobility. In addition, the fellows will participate in networking and career events and workshops and are expected to present their work at international conferences.  The fellows will be contracted Maggioli SpA, Santarchangelo di Romagna, Italy. The candidate will receive a Ph..D award from Cyprus Univeristy to Technology, Cyprus (https://cut.ac.cy/). The fellows will be spending part of their time at the Maggioli Headquarters and will also be seconded for part of their time at Cyprus Univeristy of Technology (https://cut.ac.cy/) and later at Unparallel, Portugal (https://www.unparallel.pt/).

The AGORA Project

AGORA is an EU-funded project under the MSCA Doctoral Networks of the Marie Curie-Skłodowska Actions that aims to train next generation researchers on the technology, social, and business values of Metaverses. The objective of the project is to develop the critical research and talent base that current Metaverses challenges require, through a rigorous and robust training programme, that will engage Doctoral Candidates (DCs) into the fundamental shifts that the Metaverse brings and prepare them for business, innovation and technological opportunities, while instilling them with the principles of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI).

Metaverses refer to immersive virtual worlds in which people, places and things of the physical world are instantiated by their digital representations. The maturity of technologies, including extended reality, human-computer interaction, artificial intelligence, blockchain, non-fungible investments of tech giants (e.g., Meta, Microsoft), are currently driving the wider use of Metaverses. As Metaverses operate in real-time, their wide adoption is expected to create digital public spaces for interaction (similar to ancient Greek agoras) in which online interactions are intensified and blended with the physical world as never before. It is thus expected that Metaverses will generate value by releasing a new spectrum of opportunities at different pillars (e.g. societal, business, and technological).

AGORA’s research aim is two-fold: (a) to provide a holistic framework for understanding Metaverses’ business and societal value, taking into account the interplay of implications across the three pillars; and (b) to identify pathways for maximising value creation within each pillar, while minimising the negative impacts across the other two.

For more information about AGORA please visit https://agora-mariecurie.eu/.

Job Description

Role: Ph.D. Candidate

Ph.D. Title:  Product Innovation

Ph.D. Topic Description

Metaverse can offer a shared virtual environment in which business can effectively experiment and generate products. Along the same lines Metaverse maximises the potential of the firm to hire the right human resources and eases the go-tomarket potential of the product as customers can immediately try the product and provide feedback. As a result, Metaverse is expected to foster business innovation, enabling businesses to innovate at a faster pace facilitated by the opportunity for seamless experimentation and connectivity of users in the virtual space. This project will focus on how existing business innovation strategies are applicable in the Metaverse and how they can be modified to maximise innovation potential for organisations.

Expected Results: a) identification of innovation characteristics that relate to business value creation in the Metaverse; b) methodologies that can maximise the innovation potential and business value.

Duration & Placement

The successful Dcotoral Candidate will receive a full-time contract for 36 months by the host organization Maggioli SpA, located at Santarchangelo di Romagna, Italy. The Dcotoral Candidate will be seconded at Cyprus Univeristy of Technology, Cyprus, where he/she will enroll in the Ph.D. programme. A second secondment at Unparallel, Portugal is also planned for this position.

Supervisory Team

The supervisory team consists of supervisors from Maggioli SpA and Cyprus Univerity of Technology, Cyprus. 

Job responsibilities

• Collaborate with the supervisory team to define, develop, and refine the research approach.
• Engage in data collection, including interviews, surveys, and other appropriate methodologies.
• Analyse data and interpret findings to derive conclusions.
• Collaborate with industry partners, especially during the secondment phase, to gain insights and real-world applications.
• Actively participate in training, workshops, seminars, and conferences related to research.
• Prepare interim and final research reports highlighting the findings, challenges, and future directions.
• Seek feedback and continuously refine the research approach based on new insights and findings.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• *Mobility Requirement: Candidates should not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Italy for more than 12 months in the 36 months before their recruitment date.
• An academic record, including a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree from accredited universities in Computer Science, Management or other related field that would prepare the candidate to engage in this research.
• Proven proficiency in oral and written communication skills in English.
• Demonstrated ability to take research initiatives and work collaboratively and individually.
• Previous research experience will be considered an advantage.
• Not in possession of a Ph.D. degree at the date of recruitment.

Optional Qualifications

• Ability to take research initiatives and work collaboratively and individually
• Previous experience in research.
• Background in qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• Experience in academic writing (if available).
• Record of scholarly publications (if available).
• Ability to work independently and accurately.
• Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and high-quality output.
• Excellent writing and communication skills in English.

Personal Qualifications

• Ability to work independently and accurately.
• Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and high-quality output.
• Excellent organizational, analytic and interpretive skills.
• Excellent writing and communication skills in English.
• Self-motivated and able to tackle challenging, complex problems in an individual or team-based setting.
• Inquisitive and a self-learner.

We offer

• The Gross Salary for the successful Ph.D. candidate will be 3911.60 Euros. The salary includes living, and mobility allowance. Family allowance, if aplicable, is in ecess of the Gross Salary. These salaries are in accordance with the MSCA rules of the European Union for Doctoral Researchers that are part of the AGORA contract. 
• We have a positive and inclusive company culture that values diversity, teamwork, and employee well-being. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone is valued and respected. We believe that a diverse workforce leads to creativity, innovation, and better problem-solving. We actively promote diversity and inclusion in all aspects of our organization and are dedicated to creating a supportive and welcoming environment for all employees. 

Application Process

The application and supporting documentation must be in English and must be submitted by the deadline of 31 May 2024. Please ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience align with the abovementioned qualifications. The application must include:

• Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Letter of motivation/research statement(500–1000 words) explaining why you would like to be part of a doctoral network and what you feel you can contribute to this Ph.D. position.
• Copies of bachelor’s and master’s degrees.  If you have not completed the master's degree, you should provide a transcript of courses completed and your estimated date for the master´s degree completion.
• Copy of English language certificate (C2 Level).
• Name and contact details of two referees.
• Research proposal (max 2000 words), outlining proposed research topic & objectives, proposed methodology, and timeline.
• (Optional) Publications and other scientific work, if any.

The application process is fully compliant with the GDPR requirements for handling of your personal data. Your personal data will be used striclty confidentialy and only for the purposes of evaluating your application. You have the right to request deletion of all your data (and subsequent withdrawal of your application) at any time during the evaluation process.

For a formal application, please submit your application and all supportive documents to both the following

• agora-dc10@maggioli.gr, using the Subject: "AGORA: DC10 Ph.D. application."
• https://www.cut.ac.cy/studies/phd/PhD+vacant+positions/Διοίκησης+Επιχειρηματικότητας+και+Ψηφιακού+Επιχειρείν

Application deadline: 31 May 2024

Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

CONTACT

For questions about this position, please contact:

• Sofoklis Efremidis, sofoklis.efremidis@maggioli.gr 
• Ariana Polyviou, ariana.polyviou@cut.ac.cy