"Postdoctoral Researcher “Regional Innovation Systems” (0.8 FTE)"

Job Summary

The Faculty of Spatial Sciences is seeking a postdoctoral researcher to focus on regional innovation systems, including networked interactions between stakeholders in regional innovation ecosystems and the effects of interventions. The role involves contributing to the INTERREG project ‘PERSIST’, where 9 European regions collaborate on implementing and developing regional Smart Specialization Strategies.

Responsibilities

• Initiate and perform academic research on regional innovation systems, focusing on regional innovation policies.
• Conduct research activities such as literature analysis, policy analysis, stakeholder interviews, and analysis of surveys.
• Report study results in international academic outlets and to audiences including regional administrators, policy advisors, and entrepreneurs.
• Contribute to organizational tasks and deliverables in the PERSIST project.
• Provide limited teaching support for the MSc course in ‘Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Regional Development’ and ad-hoc student supervision.
• Possibly supervise a PhD candidate and develop your own line of research, including publishing and attracting funding.

Qualifications and Requirements

• A PhD degree (or nearly finished) in economic geography, regional science, applied economics, or innovation studies, with a clear affinity to regional innovation and/or regional economic policies.
• Proven experience in quantitative and/or qualitative research methods.
• Publications in international peer-reviewed journals on topics related to regional innovation systems and/or regional policies.
• A network of relevant academic connections in fields like economic geography, regional science, innovation studies, labour economics, and/or labour sociology.
• Skills to present analyses to varied audiences and build/maintain a professional network with regional policy makers.
• Fluency in English; a good command of Dutch is preferred for communication with regional stakeholders.

What the Employer Offers

A fixed-term contract for 12 months, with the possibility of extension for another year. Salary ranges from €4,060 to €5,331 gross per month for a full-time position, plus 8% holiday allowance, 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and participation in a pension scheme. The position is based in the Department of Economic Geography at the Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen, with opportunities for research development.