Course Content:
This transdisciplinary PhD course equips researchers with the tools, frameworks, and reflective practices to understand and articulate the value of their research. Moving from personal research motivations to societal needs and business opportunities, the course enables participants to frame their research for broader audiences, identify multiple forms of value, and build a strategic roadmap toward meaningful impact. Participants will work with expert mentors, apply innovation and impact methods, and produce a personalized value-driven research roadmap.
Learning Objectives:
After having completed the course, participants should have abilities to:
- Map their research practice, identifying strengths, gaps, and opportunities.
- Analyze the value of their research across personal, societal, and commercialisation business dimensions.
- Apply key tools from innovation and impact thinking to understand intellectual assets and value creation.
- Design a tailored roadmap to amplify the impact of their research.
- Communicate research to a broader audience and effectively frame the innovation potential and practical value of your research, for example in project applications.
- Engage critically with expert feedback to refine their impact strategies.
Course Overview:
Present and Map your Research Practice
- Communicate Research in Pecha Kucha format
- Learn about transdisciplinary communication tools (narrative, visuals, metaphors)
- Reflect on research practice
- Introduction mapping tool on individual research: Content, Resources, Networks, Stakeholders, Values, Gains and Investments
Understand and Identify Personal Research Value
- Workshop: Map your current research practice
- The value spectrum: Personal drivers, societal relevance, systemic contribution, business potential
- Value tensions and ethical considerations
- Early- stage roadmap to identify research values
Innovation and Impact
Introduction to impact and innovation thinking in research
Guest lectures:
- Value for users and customers
- Intellectual Assets, Opportunity Framing and Value Protection
- Learning from failure
- Workshop: Co-creation session using the Asset–Value–Impact Matrix
- Toolbox: Interviewing techniques
Form of Teaching:
The course is taught on site in Stockholm.
Extended Course Faculty:
Samer Yammine
Roger Sörheim
Terrence Brown
Philip Kappen
Examination:
Participants will be assessed individually through three short assignments based on the objectives of the course (with pass/fail). Each of the assignments will be presented to the big plenum (except the post assignment). We assess the quality of the individual findings and their participation in groups identifying, assessing and communicating synergies between the individual research field and their peer contextual areas. A digital hand in will contribute to an emerging knowledge database. Presence in all plenary sessions is a prerequisite to receive the course diploma.
You can also explore related courses such as Entrepreneurial Mindset, Trendspotting and Future Thinking, and Ideation – Creating a Business Idea to further develop your skills and perspective.
For additional insights, see the Research Recaps: Introducing the Entrepreneurial Method, Measuring What Matters, and Employability and Entrepreneurship Education.
