What a PhD candidate should know about

research after finishing a thesis

Krijn Poppe

Wageningen Economic Research

November 2017 EAAE PhD workshop Barcelona

Content of the presentation

Introduction: Wageningen UR and my background

Some trends in society

Effects on AKIS – Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation

System

How we react in Wageningen UR

A career at the University

A career in applied policy analysis

Wageningen University & Research

Wageningen University & Wageningen Research

Wageningen University & Research

Academic research & education, and applied research

5,800 employees (5,100 fte)

>10,000 students (>125 countries)

Several locations

Turnover about € 650 million

Number 1 Agricultural University for the 4th year in a row

(National Taiwan Ranking)

To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life

Krijn J. Poppe

(Business) Economist

Research Manager at Wageningen Economic Research

Member of the Council for the Environment and Infrastructure

(foto: Fred Ernst)

Member Advisory Committee Province of South-Holland on the

quality of the Living Environment

Board member of SKAL – Dutch organic certification body

Fellow EAAE. Former Secretary General of the EAAE, now involved

in managing its publications (ERAE, EuroChoices)

Former Chief Science Officer Ministry of Agriculture

Trends in society

Disruptive role of ICT

Issues in the food chain: sustainability and health

The end of the expert and the answer of citizen science

Disruptive ICT Trends:

Mobile/Cloud Computing – smart phones, wearables, incl. sensors

Internet of Things – everything gets connected in the internet (virtualisation, M2M, autonomous devices)

Location-based monitoring - satellite and remote sensing technology, geo information, drones, etc.

Social media - Facebook, Twitter, Wiki, etc.

Block Chain – Tracing & Tracking, Contracts.

Big Data - Web of Data, Linked Open Data, Big data algorithms

High Potential for unprecedented innovations!

everywhere

anything

anywhere

everybody

Trends in the food chain

9

Food chain: 2 weak spots – opportunity?

Input industriesFarmerFood processorConsumer Retail

• Public health issues –obesity, Diabetes-2 etc.

• Climate change asks for changes in diet

• Strong structural change

• Environmental costs need to be internalised

• Climate change (GHG) strengthens this

Is it coincidence that these 2 are the weakest groups?Are these issues business opportunities and do newtechnologies like ICT help?

The end of the expert and the answer of

citizen science

Post-modernism: “science is justanother opinion”

There is distrust of experts

And of elites / the powerful

Commercial influences in research

Media looking for new business models (advertising goes online)

Politicians more short sighted?

Citizen science, (digital) commons

Effects of trends on AKIS – agricultural

knowledge and innovation system

Some findings from the SCAR – AKIS strategic working groups

Case study: the Netherlands

What does it mean for the PhD

● Working in a university

● Working in an applied (policy) research institute

The FOOD CHAIN and AKIS

3 Scenario’s to explore the future

HighTech: strong influence new technology owned by

multinationals. Driverless tractors, contract farming and a rural

exodus. US of Europe. Rich society with inequality.

Sustainability issues solved. Bio-boom scenario.

Self-organisation: Europe of regions where new ICT

technologies with disruptive business models lead to self-

organisation, bottom-up democracy, short-supply chains, multi-

functional agriculture. European institutions are weak, regions

and cities rule. Inequalities between regions, depending on

endowments.

Collapse: Big climate change effects, mass-migration and

political turbulence leads to a collapse of institutions and

European integration. Regional and local communities look for

self-sufficiency. Bio-scarcity and labour intensive agriculture.

Technology development becomes dependent on science in

China, India, Brazil.

AKIS in the 3 scenario’s

HIGH TECH SELF-

ORGANISATION

COLLAPSE

Uni-

versity

A few big Life Science

Uni’s. Intense

collaboration with

companies. MOOCs

and TEDx’s (3rd

generation model:

innovation)

Many regional

universities that

specialise. 2nd

generation

(teaching and

research).

Reduced public

funding, struggle to

keep alive and stay

relevant. Back to first

generation university

(teaching).

Applied

research

Moves into (applied)

universities.

Moves into applied

(higher) education.

Relatively important

over fundamental

research..

Farm

research

stations

Public and collective

funding ends;

disappear

More intertwined

with applied

research and

advisory service.

disappear

Advisory

service

Service provided by

multi-nationals and

their computer-

generated advice.

Mix of public

extension service

and commercial

advisory

organisations.

Disappear, some help

from local do-gooders

/ lead farmers. Big

role of donors

Can we make AKIS more robust ?

Experiment with public-private partnerships

Welcome regions, cities and NGO’s as partners

Create links (cross-overs) with other sectors: Bio-economy, energy, ict, food & health, logistics etc.

Transdisciplinary, Social dialogue, Governance issues

Create research-infrastructures that foster collaboration (ERA), that support national / regional research and innovation and help to introduce E-Science

Don’t forget education - link it better in AKIS

Collaborate with international partners (US, China, India) and better integrate AR and ARD

Case study: The Netherlands and its history

• Public research in agriculture dates from the 1880s

• Ministry of Agriculture responsible for agricultural education

• Investments in education, extension and research is one of themost important policy instruments of the Ministry of Agriculture (and 40% of its budget)

• helps also in national co-governance politics

• EER Triptych: Education, Extension and Research

• Contributed to the modernization process after WO II

• Based on classical linear model of innovation

The linear model of innovation

Figure The linear model of innovation

Fundamental Science

Applied Science

Education (future generation) & Extension (current generation

farmers)

Farming practice

Generation of Innovations

Transfer of Innovations

Application of Innovations

Driving forces for institutional changes in R&D

Table 2 Driving forces in Dutch agriculture that lead to institutional changes in research

Driving force From ….. To …..

Consumer demand Production of (basic) food

Value added by food chain

Public interest Modernisation of farming Cope with externalities, supply

management and ‘consumer

concerns’ (like landscape and animal welfare)

Labour market Hidden unemployment in

farming, low education and local labour markets

Regional labour markets with shortages and well educated farmers,

Farm households Weak integration in markets

Heavily integrated, often non-farm income of spouse

Farm business Lack of (access to) capital

Capital intensive, high land prices

(collateral), well integrated in credit market

Organisation food chain Small local cooperatives Large multinationals

Institutional changes to improve performance

Privatisation of extension: end of EER triptych (1980s)

Applied research institutes merged into agency outside civil service

● and from input to output finance

● Shift from technical research to environmental / social

● more multidisciplinary

● decline co-financing by Commodity Boards (heterogeneous farms)

● PPS matching schemes (AKK)

1996 – merge applied research institutes and university

● different organizational integration models

Institutional changes to improve performance

• Transition to sustainable agriculture:

• InnovationNetwork: radical new concepts

• Transforum: towards Open Agro-InnovationSystem

• More research by regional agricultural schools

• to solve the knowledge paradox

• ‘good in science, bad in innovation’

• How to assess effectiveness and efficiency of suchdecisions?

• not by productivity analysis but what else?

M&E Transition to agro innovation system

Knowledge creation is not a linear process

More Mode 2 than Mode 1 (Gibbons)

Triple Helix: dynamics of networks important

Mode 1 Mode 2

Academic Oriented towards application

Discipline-oriented Transdisciplinary

Homogeneous Heterogeneous

Linear and stable Non-linear and volatile

Academic quality control Quality management on a broader set of criteria

Accountable to peers Accountable to society

Trends in universities

Medieval or First

Generation University

Humboldt or Second

Generation University

Third Generation

University

First Transition

Period

Second Transition

Period

J.G. Wissema Associates bv

Thanks to R. Rabbinge

Emerging: The 3G University and the know

how carousel

Know how carousel: the moreelements, the more the others are

reinforced. Synergy and scalecreate winners

Scientificresearch and

education

Private R&Dinstitutions

R&Ddepartments of

companies,Technoparks

Financialinfrastructure

Professionalsupport

organisations

Technostarters

J.G. Wissema Associates bv

Thanks to R. Rabbinge

Contours of a 3G University

Cooperation: via know how carousel and otherways. The 3G University is a network university

Addition of know how exploitation as thirdobjective. Know how exploitation will be integratedwith research and education

Recovery of academic integrity

End of direct government contribution

● Fundamental research from state grants/donations

● Applied research from industrial and state grants

● Education via market mechanism, students pay full fees and get support from state or other grants

J.G. Wissema Associates bv

Thanks to R. Rabbinge

The Wageningen approach: biological

Gene/ Molecule

Cell

Organism

Products

Ecosystem

Planet

technologies

The Wageningen approach: biological and social

Individual

Society

Community

Household

Gene/ MoleculeGene/ Molecule

Cell

Organism

Products

Ecosystem

Planet

Policy & limiting conditions

institutions

technologies

peopleprofitplanet

Tenure track at Wageningen University

Wageningen University & Research offers young talented scientists a challenging career trajectory, Tenure Track. We have the ambition to attract top scientific talent and to stimulate their development.

Chances for top scientific talent

You will start as an Assistant Professor and will grow into the position of Professor holding a personal chair in a period of twelve years. We are looking for high potentials who can excel in education and research.

This challenging career path can lead to a permanent position at Wageningen University & Research when you meet the quality criteria. You will build your own line of research.

Tenure track at Wageningen University

Development programme

During the entire trajectory you will be intensivelysupervised and coached. A development programme, especially developed for Wageningen University & Research by Leeuwendaal Advies, is included.

The development programme starts with an assessment, in which you will explore which competencies are important for you in your career and which competenciesneed to be further developed. The outcome of this survey will be used to make up your own Personal Development Plan. This plan comprehends training, group intervisionand personal coaching.

Time to excel

The EAAE supports with its publications

Working @Wageningen Economic Research

Applied research commissioned by Dutch government, European Commission (incl. H2020), Public-private partnerships

Research lines of H2020, Policy research and PPP on several topics (sustainability, food security, food-health etc.)

Career involves project management, business development.

In general excellent T-shaped skills needed in multidisciplinary project teams. Sector-knowledge.

Including presentations for non-expert audiences, policy advise.

The EAAE supports with its publications

10 Commandments (from Don Paarlberg)

1. Get your economics straight ('Nobody expects you to be a political expert, but people do expect you to know youreconomics')

2. Do not leak ('Report only to your boss'; 'if you have a poormemory, tell the truth, so you can remember what you saidearlier')

3. Do not be overly concerned with survival ('survival is a means, not an end')

4. Be sure your boss wants an honest job

5. Anticipate, probe and be objective ('try to anticipate issues and research them before they become emotional'; 'it is better to break new trails than to shift the ashes of thecampfires laid by others')

10 Commandments (from Don Paarlberg)

6. Do not be rigid ('research should be done in the spirit of inquire, and the essence of inquiry is that it is not too sureof the answers')

7. Do not malign the bureaucracy

8. Do not impugn a person's motives ('if you have a difference with a person, allow him a way to retreat withhonor' - Eisenhower)

9. Communicate well, respect deadlines ('a perfect report, oral or written, received after the deadline is useless'; 'bebrief and use plain language')

10.In special cases disregard the above

Thanks for your

attention

and we welcome

collaboration in

your projects !

krijn.poppe@wur.nl

www.wur.nl