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NEWS27 Mar 2020NewsMSCAEconomicsPhD

12 PhD positions on MSCA Innovative Training Network ‘Policies for Smart Specialisation’ (POLISS)

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12 positions are available for Early Stage Researchers across the members of the POLISS Marie-Sklodowska-Curie (MSCA) Innovative Training Network from the 1stof September 2020 for 36 months. Each appointed researcher will be paid an attractive salary based on the standard MSCA guidelines and will be registered for a PhD at one of the participating universities. Applications must be made to the relevant participating teams according to the topics listed in this document.

Policies for Smart Specialisation (POLISS) is a European Training Network for Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs). Smart Specialisation is a successful innovation policy concept which has become a cornerstone of the European cohesion policy and addresses several of the Sustainable Development Goals. However, the early implementation of SmartSpec policies has raised concerns among scholars and policy makers, who have pointed to several gaps in its conceptualisation, design and implementation. POLISS (“Policies for Smart Specialisation”) will tackle these gaps with the aim of making the design, implementation and evaluation of SmartSpec policies more effective in Europe.

POLISS is a collaboration of 7 leading European academic institutions and 14 partners spanning local governments, development agencies, international organizations, research institutes and private companies. POLISS brings together a diverse set of actors from all the fields contributing to SmartSpec; therefore, it adopts a multidisciplinary approach by integrating their insights and knowledge. Building on their expertise and everyday engagement with SmartSpec policies, POLISS aims at: a) providing new systematic evidence and methodological tools to scholars, policy makers and local practitioners for designing and assessing SmartSpec actions in EU regions and beyond; b) building a PhD programme where a new generation of experts in regional development and innovation policy will be trained and once graduated will be possibly employed in regional, national and European private or public organisations that work on regional development and innovation; c) providing a forum for coordinating the vast community of researchers and practitioners working on local development and innovation, which is often sparse and fragmented.

Benefits and salary:

The successful candidates will receive an attractive salary in accordance with the MSCA regulations for early stage researchers. The salary is dependent on the country correction factor (to allow for the difference in cost of living in different EU Member States) and varies between €2500 and €4600 before taxes per month depending on country of host institution. In addition, researchers will receive a mobility allowance (€600 per month) and (if eligible) a family allowance (€500 per month). Each researcher will be appointed for 36 months. All researchers will be expected to participate in research training within their host institutions, as well as in 5 network-wide summer or winter schools. Each researcher/PhD student will have a co-supervisor from an international institution in the network and a non-academic mentor from a regional partner organisation, will also spend one international secondment with an academic institution and one secondment with a non-academic partner within the network, and will be able to benefit from support for attending other training events and conferences.

Eligibility:

Early-stage researchers (ESR) are those who are, at the time of recruitment by the host, in the first four years (full-time equivalent) of their research careers. This is measured from the date when they obtained the degree which formally entitles them to embark on a doctorate, either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the research training is provided, irrespective of whether or not a doctorate was envisaged.

Marie Curie Innovative Training Networks are an international mobility scheme. Researchers are required to undertake trans-national mobility (i.e. move from one country to another) when taking up the appointment. At the time of selection by the host organisation, researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of their host organisation for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to their recruitment. Short stays, such as holidays, are not taken into account.

The working language of the POLISS network is English and researchers must be able to demonstrate their ability to work and write in the English language. All deliverables for the project and all network meetings and training activities will be conducted in English. Any other language requirements will be specified by individual host institutions.

Recruitment procedure:

Each host institution will separately recruit researchers according to their allocation, and will apply their normal institutional recruitment processes. Individual calls for applicants will be accessible via Euraxess. Vacancies will be advertised here and a link will be available to the recruitment guidelines and/or website of the respective host. Requirements for submissions will be specified on the host institutions’ websites.

All of the partners are equal opportunities employers and all candidates will be recruited under gender-neutral recruitment processes. The project aims for gender balance among the researchers recruited to the network. Female candidates in particular are encouraged to apply.

Research topics:

POLISS is a highly structured project and each researcher is required to carry out a defined research task. The 14 research projects are set out below and applicants must apply for a specific research task in the institution to which it has been allocated. A final report on the research task will be required as a formal deliverable in each case. This is then expected to form the basis of a PhD, but note that the PhD is not a formal deliverable of the Marie Curie network and may be delivered after the conclusion of the 36 months appointment.

 

ESR1 Regional Entrepreneurship Ecosystem and Smart Specialisation (University of Pécs)

For more information: Technical/administrative details: lajos.maria@ktk.pte.hu

Academic details: tiszbergerm@ktk.pte.hu

https://international.pte.hu/call_applications_phd_regional_development_poliss_program

 

ERS 2 & 3 – closed

 

ESR4 Inclusive Regional Growth (London School of Economics)

For more information: Dr Pete Mills:Geog.Phd@lse.ac.uk

http://www.lse.ac.uk/study-at-lse/Graduate/fees-and-funding/POLISS-Department-of-Geography-and-Environment

 

ESR5 Place-Specific Factors and the Design and Implementation of Smart Specialisation Strategies (University of Vienna)

For more information: michaela.trippl@univie.ac.at

 

ESR6 Applied Methodology and Tools for the Design and Implementation of Smart Specialisation Strategies (Utrecht University)

For more information:a.morrison@uu.nl; r.a.boschma@uu.nl

https://www.uu.nl/en/organisation/working-at-utrecht-university/jobs

 

ESR7 Globalisation, FDI and Regional Structural Change (London School of Economics)

For more information: Dr Pete Mills: Geog.Phd@lse.ac.uk

http://www.lse.ac.uk/study-at-lse/Graduate/fees-and-funding/POLISS-Department-of-Geography-and-Environment

 

ESR8Talents and Regional Diversification in the EU (Utrecht University)

For more information: a.morrison@uu.nl; r.a.boschma@uu.nl

https://www.uu.nl/en/organisation/working-at-utrecht-university/jobs

 

ESR9 Digitalization and Regional Resilience in the EU (Utrecht University)

For more information: a.morrison@uu.nl; r.a.boschma@uu.nl

https://www.uu.nl/en/organisation/working-at-utrecht-university/jobs

 

ESR10 Smart Specialisation Strategies Between Experimentation and Governance Failures (University of Stavanger)

For more information: rune.d.fitjar@uis.no

 

ESR11Monitoring Smart Specialisation (Spanish National Research Council)

For more information: p.marques@ingenio.upv.es; mgarciam@dpi.upv.es

http://www.ingenio.upv.es/en/work-with-us/current-opportunities

 

ESR12 The Economic Impact of Smart Specialisation Policy in European Regions (University of Pécs)

For more information:Technical/administrative details: lajos.maria@ktk.pte.hu

Academic details: tiszbergerm@ktk.pte.hu

https://international.pte.hu/call_applications_phd_regional_development_poliss_program

 

ESR13 The Role of Universities in Smart Specialisation Strategies (University of Stavanger)

For more information: tom.brokel@uis.nl

 

ESR14Coordination and Local Networks (Spanish National Research Council)

For more information: p.marques@ingenio.upv.es; mgarciam@dpi.upv.es

http://www.ingenio.upv.es/en/work-with-us/current-opportunities

 

Deadlines vary