Workshop on the Third Cycle studies / Doctorate

31 March 2009, Skopje

Bringing university and companies together at the doctorate level

Case Study 2 University Pierre and Marie Curie, Paris

Dr. Paule Biaudet

The French contexte of higher education

An historical dual system• Universities, mass education, low funding

• “Grandes écoles”, elite education, high funding

Consequences• Rather bad perception of university students by companies

• Recruitement for high positions difficult in companies• Only 13% of PhD among researchers in private• Loss of interest for scientific studies

Challenges• Bring universities and companies closer

• Develop mutual respect and sustainable relationships• Raise the number of doctors in companies• Create more innovation driven companies• Communicate towards young people to rebuild motivation

Overview

Framework and structures• University Pierre and Marie Curie• Implementation of Bologna Process • Doctoral schools’ reform in France• The doctoral policy at UPMC• The dedicated structures

Activities at the doctoral level• New world, new challenges and needs• The work hypothesis : a mutual benefit• Improving employability of the Early Stage Researchers • Involving companies at different levels

University Pierre and Marie Curie (1)

One of the two biggest in France30000 Students3500 Doctoral students700 Doctorate / year

Permanent Staff• Academic

- UPMC : 1950- Research institutions : 1600

• Technical and administrative- UPMC : 2650- Research institutions : 1400

Research expenditure 220 M Euros

5000 publications / year

Implementation of the Bologna Process

DEUG 2DEUG 1

Maîtrise

Licence

DESS DEA

Doctorat 4 …

Doctorat 3Doctorat 2Doctorat 1

Bachelor 2Bachelor 1

Master 1

Bachelor 3

Doctorate 4

Doctorate 3Doctorate 2Doctorate 1

Master 2

After 2004Before 2000

2nd Cycle

1st Cycle

3rd Cycle

1st Cycle

Do

cto

ral

Sch

oo

l

The French concept of Doctoral School

• A gathering of assessed research teams on a site and/or disciplinary basis critical mass

• DS assessment by the Ministry every4 years

• Managed by a scientific and pedagogical board with students and company representatives

• Responsible for - recruitment procedures transparency- supervision and follow up quality

• Must provide scientific and generic training in order to improve doctors employability

• Must track doctors at least 5 years after graduation

UPMC Doctoral Training policy

• In accordance with the new European vision of the doctorate and the French context and law

• Meeting national and international stakes & challenges

Contribute to reorganise the research landscape of the Paris Ile-de-France Region for a greater

visibility

As research university, aims to provide excellent research training

- based on critical mass and - assessed by national and international

structures

BUT ALSO

Aims to fulfill the specific needs of the French doctors labour market by

- improving doctorate holders employability- fostering supervision best practices- developping relationships with companies

The Institute of Doctoral Training

To impulse coordinated change in the 20 DS, foster diffusion of good practices, and fullfill all actors expectations

Creation of an innovative and dedicated structure

• Organisational level of a faculty• All DS administrativeley and financially linked to IDT• One unique data base • Global budget and training offer shared between DS• A director and a committee• 4 colleges representing all actors : DS directors, • supervisors, doctoral candidates, administrative staff)

Support to the creation of two associations

• UPMC DS Doctoral students association (Doc’Up)• UPMC DS Doctors association

The Institute of Doctoral Training

Missions

• Coordinating and pooling DS activities• Managing HR, facilities and budget• Developping and providing relevant tools and means• Producing relevant indicators• Developping communication media

BUT ALSO

• Promoting doctoral training in France• Raising all actors’ awareness about this issue• Contributing to European and international reflexion

Two complementary ways :

Improving doctoral candidates employability

+Involving companies at the doctoral level

Philosophy, actions and results

Bringing Universities and companies together

New world, new challenges & needs

• globalisation and internalisation : evolution of economic and labour market

• new economical and societal challenges

• trades évolution ; companies organisational evolution

• new relationship employers - employee

• new expectations towards education and skills

• increasing professional mobility

For highly qualified, research trained professional

- What kind of new roles, responsabilities ?- What kind of new careers and competences ?

The work hypothesis : a mutual benefit

• People trained through research should be the best candidates to explain, promote and support doctoral education, research, and innovation process

• Doctorate holders’ recruitment for positions related to - their high level of qualification and competences

- their deep motivations and expectationsshould lead to individual and collective success and benefit

Improve wider dissemination of doctorate holders in the whole socio-economic world : all types of

organisations, trades and professions

Our action basis : two hypotheses, one main aim

PhD holders employability issue

Nature of the labour market itself Develop more innovative businesses

Candidates knowledge and access to the labour market

Improve information circulation and networking

Mutual representations

Develop relationships, confront prejudices to reality

New skills/competences requirements Assess current and future needs by ambitious prospective studies

Lack of clear, sustainable project Anticipate, be creative, innovative

Recruitment habits and culture Respect values and culture but dare the changes

PhD holders employability issue

The job market is complex : in fact three types of market

The visible market : positions which are designed by employers and published in the press, on job boards, or on businesses/bodies web sites

The hidden market : positions which are designed by employers BUT NOT published. They are only disseminated through networks and cooptation plays a key role.

The potential market : positions which don’t exist in employers mind a priori but which could be transformed into a concrete offer when candidate’s proposal meet exactly employers needs.

New labour market for doctorate holders

• Already much more diverse than usually expected or imagined

• Has to be improved/developed in the new context of the knowlege-innovation driven economy

Logical and rather well known

- teaching staff in universities

- researchers in HE & research

institutes

- researchers in businesses R&D

Rather logical but not well, or not enough known

- positions linked to the development of the knowledge economy and society

Not logical and not well known

- positions customized by individuals to fit their specific motivations and skills

To hold these new positions, awareness, curiosity and anticipation required !

Anticipation and awareness: keys of success

To convince recruiters, diploma and science are not sufficient.

The candidate must show AND prove : - competences expected for the position - a real motivation - a potential of evolution

Which suppose - prior and deep knowledge of one’self, positions content, companies, and related trades- developpement of expected competences for the target position and professional networks

During the doctorate course, ESR should anticipate and prepare their post-doctorate career evolution

The house of doctoral schools

Training• a wide offer• transferable skills• career development

Documentation• business reports

• press review • surveys

• books & journals

Events• meetings with

companies

• Round tables on profession with testimonials

Individual career conseling• training as a prerequisite• personalized, focused, task oriented

Communication and promotion

Training offer structuration

Workshops

- Small groups

- Deepen knowledge

- Develop skills

- Open individual counseling

Seminar

- Big groups

- Develop interest for the topic

- Evaluate motivation for deepening

- A prerequisite

Vocational training topics

• Doctoral candidates- Initiation to management- Communication- Development of the vocational project- Job seeking tools- Doctoriales®- Intellectual property- Knowledge / information management- Teaching and pedagogy- Security and health for students…

• Supervisors- knowledge of doctorates job market- related management of the doctoral project- Intellectual property- European projects application and management…

• Board or committee members

• Special guests for specific ceremonies

• Updated information providers

• Trainers / consultants

• Research partners

• ESR employers

At UPMC all these schemes are used…

Involving companies (1): usual schemes

Updated information providers

• Updating of the documentation center funds

• Presenting themself : opportunities, careers

Eg : BCG, Sanofi, Areva, L’Oréal, …

• Fostering testimonials and doctors networking

Trainers or consultants

• For doctoral candidates training related to

management, communication, career

development, innovation …

• For supervisors personal development

Involving companies usual schemes

DRITT and

The Industrial Relations and Technological Transfer Office (DRITT)

• Establishing and managing cooperative research projects

• Developing European contractual policy

• Managing intellectual property

• Promoting and valorizing research results

The incubator (Agoranov)

• Providing facilities and expertise• Counceling and follow up of the projects leaders

Doctoral project funding

Two different status, 4 main schemes

Public sector employee• Doctoral candidate hired by a public institution and paid

on the laboratory’s research contracts funded by companies

• Doctoral candidate hired by a public institution, paid by the public institution but supported by companies and

regions

Private sector employee• Doctoral candidate hired by the companie and paid on companie’s own funds

• Doctoral candidate hired by a company and paid by the company but supported by the Ministry of Research (CIFRE)

Labour market exploration- Information sources ; trades, businesses and jobs discovery - Understanding of recruitement stakes and procedures- Job opening deciphering- Professional network development

Vocational project drawing out

- Values, likes and motivations identification

- Accordingly, trade, entreprise and job definition and choice

- Career evolution potential

Skills analysis and development

- personal and professional experiences and related skills

- target job’s expected skills

- skills development plan

only after that, cv/letters writing improvement and interview preparation

Career Development training path

Some exemples of success stories …

Tania, analytical chemistEnvironmentProject manager

Michael, biophysicistIT, knowledge managementConsultant

Catherine, physiologsitBiotechnologyProject manager

Gwenaelle, physiologistResearch InstitutionEuropean Project manager

Lucasl, developmental biologistFinanceFunding consultant

Yacine, apllied mathematicsBankAnalyst

Frederic, environemental chemistTerritorial communityDepartement manager

Melina, cellular biologistPublic health associationCommunication

Louis, physicistIP cabinetPatent atorney

Thanks for your attention

biaudet@upmc.fr

University Pierre and Marie Curie (2)

Astronomy and astrophysics

Environment

Biodiversity and ecology

Geosiences et natural sciences

Physics

Physical and analytical chemistry

Molecular chemistry

Advanced materials

NeurosciencesDiversity of lifeInterfaces with biologyBiochem. & Mol. BiologyPhysiol. & PhysiopathologyPublic Health

Mathematics

Computer sciences

Process engineering

High technologies

Mecanics, Acoustics, Electronics

A Research University in Hard Sciences and Medicine

Medicine

31%

64%

5%

Grants

Research agreements

MTA

• 300 agreements signed in 2007 (Governements, EU, charities and companies)

• 2007 turnover: ca. 30 M€ (EU and companies)– Europe (FP, Eureka, Structural Funds) 25 %– Contracts involving companies 35 %– Other (public and charitiess) 40 %

• Research collaboration with companies (2007) :

Research contracts 1/2