The first module of the new PhD course in "Reflective Practice in Complex Systems" was recently held at NTNU Gløshaugen in Trondheim on May 8-9. The course is organized in collaboration between NTNU and USN. PhD student members from the industrial research school (INRESCOS) came together with representatives from the staff to learn more about industrial research.
Industry-relevant research is a keyword for INRESCOS, and the new PhD course has an important role in helping PhD students learning through apprenticeship and reflection. The students are challenged on how to switch between two perspectives: a more result-oriented focus in the industry versus being more knowledge-oriented in academia, for example on how to gain deep learning from the internship.
The students were first met by professor Geir Ringen, who took them through a lecture on "Research in an industrial and organizational context". The next item on the agenda was Professor Martin Steinert with useful tips on how to write a good Kappa and find relevant journals and conferences for the doctoral work. Then Professor Christer Elverum showed the students how to optimize their time using the Pomodoro method, developed in the 90's by the Italian Francesco Cirillo. Taking advantage of own study time is easy to underestimate at first, but is important to avoid high stress levels, especially when the submission date approaches.
The Head of Department Torgeir Welo explored the topic "Value perspectives in industry vs. academic research: “Building collaboration practices leading to successful research and innovation outcomes". The students were asked to reflect upon questions related to success factors and challenges regarding the collaboration between them and the company they are seconded to. They were also asked to discuss what can be proactively done to increase the value of this cooperation for both parties.
After a break, Professor Halvor Holtskog challenged them on the importance of trust in industrial research with the topic «Creating trust for co-creating in-depth new knowledge».
Finally, the head of the research school, Professor Kristin Falk, introduced the students to “on the job training” and the module 3 “Recearch, Development and Innovation Management" at campus Krona in Kongsberg in the end of the month.
