Industry 4.0 and the future of EU manufacturing: productivity and innovation

3 year PhD programme.

We are looking for a pool of doctoral candidates interested in undertaking a PhD programme in the Birmingham Business School to investigate themes related to Europe’s advance manufacturing sector and long term growth. The themes for the doctoral project are four: (1) how to measure and tackle low productivity growth in the EU; (2) the impact of technological change and innovation on new sectors and competitiveness (3) what the skills are necessary to match technological change and how can economies create jobs to secure high standard of living and (4) what processes and systems are adopted in selected manufacturing sectors to embed socio-economic-environmental sustainable management practices.

This doctoral project is part of a bigger research agenda that links scholars across the EU, US and Singapore. Doctoral researchers will have the unique opportunity to be part of international network of young researchers and high profile scholars with competences and expertise on such themes. During their PhD, doctoral researchers will be encouraged to deliver academic publications, and they will be exposed to academic conferences, policy debates and public engagement with relevant stakeholders such as think tanks and associations.

Interested candidates must have a background in industrial economics, business studies, economic geography, environmental economics and innovation.

A Doctoral degree from the Birmingham Businesses School is a stepping stone to pursue a carrier in academia, consultancy and policy. See Birmingham Businesses School’s website for more information, http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/business/index.aspx