Enhancing innovation and entrepreneurship skills: Evaluation of a doctoral training program

The objective of this case study is to evaluate the impact of the doctoral training program that aimed for increasing innovation and entrepreneurial skills, as well as self-development of doctoral students and recently graduated PhDs in the raw material sector. The research questions are: How the students evaluate the impact of the program on their innovation and entrepreneurial skills? Did the program have concrete impact on the career paths of the students? This case study presents the outcomes of an intensive training program designed for doctoral students or newly graduated doctors within the T-DoRe (T-shaped Doctors in Residence) project that was conducted during 2016-2017 in Finland and Spain. The program included eleven participants from research organizations, university and industry. The research data comprise of the project documents, interviews and of delayed feedback made among the program participants. The mindset change results as the major impact of the training program. Prior the program the expectations of most of the participants were not associated with developing of innovation and entrepreneurial skills, but more or less with developing one’s own work. However, during the workshop process, attitudes and mindset changed, and business-oriented thinking increased. Consequently, we can state that this type of training program targeted to the doctoral students and research in technology, is more likely to lead into incremental change on attitudes, rather than being a trigger for starting up a business.