Understanding R&D and innovation through experimental approaches

All successful applicants may elect to apply for a range of competitive PhD scholarships we offer, guidance for which can be found here: https://www.bath.ac.uk/campaigns/find-funding-for-doctoral-research/

Self funded applications will also be considered.

The project: Research and development (R&D) and innovation are widely recognised as the drivers of economic growth. Although our understanding of the processes underpinning R&D and innovation has improved drastically in the last decades, our understanding of some behaviours of the agents involved in these processes is limited. For instance, decisions made by firm managers (and policy makers) about R&D and innovation, like all decisions, are susceptible to risk and time preferences, cognitive biases and emotions. Depending on the strength of these forces, the amount and/or quality of R&D and innovation may not be optimal. Furthermore, whilst various research methods have been employed in innovation research, rigorous experimental methods have been scarcely used despite their wider use in other social science fields. This call responds to an increasing need for novel evidence in innovation research based on experimental methods through creating and analyzing counterfactual situations.

We welcome any applications linking innovation research and experimental methods. However, we would particularly welcome applications in the following areas: (a) the interplay between risk and time preferences in decisions on R&D and innovation (such as R&D investments), (b) cognitive biases and their negative consequences (such as unrealistic optimism) in R&D and innovation decision making (such as the selection and undertaking of R&D projects), (c) the role of emotions in the R&D/innovation decision-making process (d) the development of new behavioural biases relating to R&D and innovation.

We particularly welcome applications from individuals interested in quantitative data analysis. Knowledge of or willingness to learn and use Stata, R or Python would be desirable. The successful applicant would potentially benefit from short-term placements in innovation policy institutions and/or engagement with policy makers.

Preferred start date: October 2023

Application criteria: You should have at least a 2:1 at undergraduate level (or its international equivalent). Your background can be in any subject, not just management. Plus:

• Basic understanding of experimental design and data analysis principles
• Willingness to develop and/or refine existing analytical skills (such as the use of econometric software and programming languages, e.g. Stata, R, Python etc.).

How to apply: https://www.bath.ac.uk/guides/how-to-apply-for-doctoral-study/