ESR #14 - Legitimizing innovation ecosystem orchestration

Project: European Training Network for InduStry Digital Transformation across Innovation Ecosystems – EINST4INE (funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 956745)

Field of Expertise: Business and management

Faculty / Research Group: School of Business and Management, LUT University

Employment type: Full-time, fixed-term (36 months)

Gross annual salary: 

Starting date: 1st September 2021

•Full-time, 36-months fixed-term contract based at LUT University but may be required to work remotely

•International mobility: various short and long-term travel foreseen, including industry and academic secondments

•Open to any nationality (requires a work permit for Finland)

•Research activities focusing on innovation ecosystems and the stakeholders’ perspectives and interaction with the ecosystems

•Enrolment as a PhD candidate

•Opportunities to conduct innovative research activities in collaboration with high level academic and industrial partners

•Competitive remuneration for junior researcher position

About the position: 

The PhD position is part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action ‟European Training Network for InduStry Digital Transformation across Innovation Ecosystems” (EINST4INE), coordinated by RMIT Europe. EINST4INE project aims to develop new concepts, approaches and methods in the area of digital transformation and brings together a unique group of world-leading experts in the areas of Open Innovation, Industry 4.0, digital transformation and innovation ecosystems. EINST4INE six academic beneficiaries and the coordinator will recruit altogether 15 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) working in the domain of industrial digital transformation who will meet regularly via a coordinated exchange programme organised across the international network, comprising secondments, visits, training events, workshops, and summer schools. The successful candidate will be based at LUT University (Lappeenranta, Finland) and enrolled in a PhD programme in this institution.

PhD Project Description

Title: Legitimizing innovation ecosystem orchestration

Description: Innovation ecosystems refer to diverse collectives of actors that are together creating a joint value proposition or contributing jointly to a specific offering via variety of complementary and innovative activities. Orchestrator - the entity coordinating the ecosystem – often needs to persuade and facilitate other actors to adopt new solutions, provide them with resources and practices, or otherwise engage actors into new activities. This creates challenges for legitimizing the orchestration as an activity as well as legitimacy challenges related to the orchestrator and the overall ecosystem. This PhD project focuses on these challenges and examines the ways in which an orchestrator creates the necessary legitimacy to coordinate the emergence and growth of innovation ecosystems. The PhD project will involve hands-on industrial collaboration, data collection and training among industrial partners.

Research field(s): Innovation management, Strategic management, Marketing and branding, Entrepreneurship

Supervisors: EINST4INE research programs involve comprehensive, independent research under the supervision of an expert supervising team. For the current position, these are:

• Prof. Paavo Ritala, main supervisor 

• Prof. Henri Hakala

Candidate Profile:

Background:

Ideal candidates should have an interest and motivation to study management and coordination of innovation ecosystems, interorganizational networks and inter-firm relationships in general. Background in setting up or coordinating innovation ecosystems, other type of collaborative structures or new ventures is likely to be useful in understanding the challenges involved in legitimization challenges of innovation ecosystems and their orchestration. Backgrounds in marketing, branding or in (project) management are also considered as assets. Furthermore, skills in qualitative research methods are appreciated.

Qualifications:

Candidates should have a master’s degree in Business (e.g. Management, Marketing, or Entrepreneurship), Industrial Engineering and Management, or a related field. A completed master’s degree is required to apply. However, we may also consider applicants who are in the final stages of their master’s degree while applying, but we will require a completed and awarded degree at the time of starting the employment (the degree must be completed latest during August 2021).

Eligibility and Key Selection Criteria

To be eligible, you need to be an “Early Stage Researcher”, simultaneously fulfil the following criteria at the time of recruitment:

•Mobility: candidates must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc…) in Finland for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to recruitment under the EINST4INE project (i.e. from August 2018).

•Qualification: candidates must hold a degree that 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 (typically a master’s degree – MSc).

•Research experience: at the date of recruitment, candidates must be in the first four years of their research career, after the master’s degree was awarded

•Candidates must be proficient in English (level C1 expected).

Key Selection Criteria

1. Background in one or several of the areas related to the topic of the PhD project 

2. Demonstration of skills and activities in academic excellence 

3. Demonstration of skills and activities in industrial collaboration 

4. Skills and experience with qualitative research methods

The positions adhere to the European policy of balanced ethnicity, age and gender. Both men and women are encouraged to apply.

Working conditions:

In Finland doctoral studies take 4 years. To cover the whole 48 months studies, we offer a 12+36-months full-time work contract, starting from 1st September 2021. The position will be based in Lappeenranta and international travel are foreseen. The work will start with a sixmonth trial period. 

For the first 36 months, the remuneration, in line with the European Commission rules for Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant holders, will consists of a salary augmented by a mobility allowance, resulting in a gross monthly salary of about 3,660.00 euros. Taxes and net salary 2021 depend on applicant’s incomes prior to moving to Finland. On 2022, the net income is roughly 2,450.00 euros per month without other income. In case applicant is entitled to family allowance, the gross salary will be increased of about 416 euros per month. The last 12 months the remuneration will be funded by LUT University. The remuneration will remain at the same level as it was during the first 36 months.

Further benefits:

The ESRs will be involved in a Marie Skłodowska-Curie network with excellent opportunities for scientific and personal development. These include:

•Regularly adapted personal career development plans.

•Funding for short stays at top-class research groups.

•Regular training events and meetings across Europe.

Application:

Applicants will be selected on their potential for scientific excellence and adaptability to work in a multicultural environment. Recruitment will be a transparent, open and equal process following the guidelines of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. Carefully read the guidelines before applying. NB: the recruitment and interview process for this position is specific to EINST4INE project. Still, applicants should make sure they comply with the recruiting institution conditions.

The application must be submitted online, together with the following supporting documents (in English):

•A detailed Curriculum Vitae (2-pages max);

•A letter of motivation (1,000 words max);

•A brief, non-binding, research proposal for the ESR project, addressing the state of the art, the objectives, the methodology (3,000 words max);

•A copy of your official academic degree(s) and the corresponding transcripts – if the original documents are not in English, Finnish or Swedish, each document must be accompanied by an official certified translation into English or Finnish;

•A proof of English proficiency (certificates from TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic, or Cambridge English Language Assessment, level C1 is expected – native speakers are exempt from the certificate requirement).

The data of the applicant will be collected for the sole purpose of the selection procedure, such as described in Grant Agreement No. 956745 - Horizon 2020 EINST4INE. The candidate may refer to RMIT EU (coordinator) in order to exercise her/his rights under art. 15 – 22 Reg. (EU) 2016/679.