Rosa's graduation internship

Towards Science for Society

From February until September, I was able to do my internship at Dialogic. During this time, I conducted research on possible university policy options to increase the societal impact of research (through valorisation activities).

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Graduating at Dialogic Are you looking for a dynamic research environment for your graduation project? At Dialogic, we offer exciting opportunities for students eager to conduct cutting-edge research in the fields of technology, innovation and policy. Our team of experienced consultants and researchers will support you throughout your project, providing valuable insights and guidance. Join us at Dialogic and embark on a rewarding journey towards your academic and professional development.

Dialogic has previously conducted a policy evaluation regarding the Valorisation Programme for consortia. It emerged that the societal impact vision often remains absent, and a valorisation strategy is not yet complete and robust enough. Using a multi-criteria mapping method (MCM), I have scrutinised the contrasting perspectives on the possible policy solutions in an interactive manner.

Over the course of a few months, I have engaged with various stakeholders to uncover their opinions and experiences regarding the potential solutions, as well as what exactly the performance of the policy options may depend on. Not only have I gained a better understanding of the (urgency of the) academic challenge, but also how the perspectives of different stakeholders differ. Overall, in addition to interesting differences, there are also some points on which the stakeholders agreed. To name a few: the university must truly take action and experiment with policy solutions, especially in terms of a strong integral vision (thinking from a knowledge ecosystem perspective), time and appreciation for researchers, as well as changes in education. Collaboration between different layers within and outside the university, as well as an incremental and step-by-step approach, is crucial.

In addition to the data from interviews for my research, in September, I was able to organise a validation and feedback session at Dialogic to discuss my results with some interviewees. The final outcomes and my 'university-policy-box' tool were positively received. As a result, in the coming months, I will be in contact with EZK, VSNU, and OC&W to share the results of my research further and possibly brainstorm about follow-up actions. Not only for the scope of my research but also for other universities throughout the Netherlands, my findings may be relevant.

In addition to this follow-up, I will happily start at Dialogic from early December as a junior researcher and advisor, aiming to remain involved in the further developments of the education and science system of the Netherlands for a long time to come!