How to boost the PhD labour market? : facts from the R&D and innovation policies side

This paper analyzes the PhD labour market in connection to the Research and Innovation countries’ performance. Research and Innovation is essential for competitiveness in a global economy and doctorate holders have the skills and attributes to both engage in world-class research and make productive contributions in a wide spectrum of professional roles in innovation, in particular, in the private sector. However, in the recent literature little attention has been paid to measure the doctorate’s employment in the private sector, their role in the public-private research linkages and their effects on the innovation performance of the countries. The recruitment of PhD graduates in the private sector should be considered a key avenue in converting publicly funded basic research into commercialized innovations, technological progress and productivity growth. The aim of this paper is to examine which policies are boosting the PhD employment especially in the business sector and how these policies affect the research and innovation performance of the countries.