Strategising Behaviours and Activities of High Performing Principal Investigators (Advert Reference: SEL17/BUS/CUNNINGHAM2).

Faculty: Business & Law

Department: Business & Management

Project Description

Principal Investigators (PIs) are lead scientists responsible for delivering transformative publicly funded scientific programmes. Becoming a publicly funded PI is a career enabler for scientists and carries significant peer prestige. However the role and expected impact of PIs have grown substantially beyond traditional scientific activities. Publicly funded PIs must be adept in the areas such as technology transfer, strategy, management, entrepreneurship, brokering, negotiation and mediation. They must engage with a broader range of stakeholders including scientific peers, technology transfer offices, industry, policy makers, NGOs and regulators.

Publicly funded PIs are critical agents in the delivery of transformative public science investment through the creation of scientific networks responding to broad opportunities directed by government scientific programmes and associated publicly funding bodies. In the implement of publicly funded scientific programmes PIs either directly or indirectly create technology transfer and commercial opportunities that can ultimately be exploited by third parties. The activities of publicly funded PIs can create transformative social scientific networks that can respond effectively to public science initiatives as well as contributing to creating economic activity and prosperity. There have been pioneered studies of PIs that have focused on the barriers, managerial tensions, technology and market shaping activities (see reference list).

Within an evolving research environment, PIs are key strategic and transformation actors. As scientists they design and orchestrate new research projects. This involves combining resources and competencies with other researchers, research organisations and industry. They seek to deepen scientific trajectories and shape new areas. Despite their strategic importance of their role, surprisingly little is understood regarding the strategic orientation of high performing PIs, or indeed their approach to strategising in relation to their role as scientific leaders in national and international research systems.

Against this background the aim of this study is to contribute to the pioneering empirical studies of PI by focusing on strategizing behaviours and pioneering activities of higher performing principal investigators in the in physical sciences engineering, life sciences, and social sciences and humanities. The studies uses European Research Council (ERC) advanced grant holders as a proxy for HP-PIs. In particular the study focus will be on the strategizing behaviours, actions, and practices HP-PIs engage in and the strategic approaches they use to make strategic choices to create new research avenues using public funded research programmes. The study will draw on the fields of strategic management, entrepreneurship and innovation.

Eligibility and How to Apply:
Please note eligibility requirement:
• Academic excellence of the proposed student i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities [preference for 1st class honours]); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.
• Appropriate IELTS score, if required.

For further details of how to apply, entry requirements and the application form, see
https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-research-degrees/how-to-apply/

Please ensure you quote the advert reference above on your application form.

Start Date: 2 October 2017

Northumbria University is an equal opportunities provider and in welcoming applications for studentships from all sectors of the community we strongly encourage applications from women and under-represented groups.