OPENING DOORS · Project

Online Training Program That Makes PhD Graduates Industry-Ready Through Open Innovation Skills

otherTestedTRL 6Thin data (2/5)

Imagine you hire a brilliant PhD graduate but they struggle to work across departments, communicate with non-scientists, or apply their research to real business problems. OPENING DOORS built a free online course that trains PhD researchers to collaborate across disciplines and sectors — using real-world challenges instead of textbook exercises. Think of it as a finishing school that bridges the gap between the lab and the office, teaching researchers how to actually work in innovation teams with people from industry, government, and community backgrounds.

By the numbers

consortium partners across 4 countries

EUR 304,815

EU contribution for course development

total project deliverables produced

countries involved (CZ, DK, IE, JP)

key educational resources delivered (online course, learning resource, supervisor tool)

The business problem

What needed solving

Companies hiring PhD graduates consistently find that these researchers lack the cross-functional and communication skills needed to contribute to innovation teams. The gap between academic training and industry expectations leads to longer onboarding times, failed collaborations, and underutilized talent — especially in organizations that depend on open innovation across science, policy, and business.

The solution

What was built

The project delivered three concrete outputs: (1) an open online course platform with collaborative workspaces for interdisciplinary team learning using real-world challenges, (2) a standalone online learning resource for PhD students and their supervisors covering career development and digital skills, and (3) a supervisor support tool with practical materials like videos, testimonials, and reading resources, evaluated through user surveys.

Audience

Who needs this

Corporate training departments onboarding PhD-level R&D hiresUniversities redesigning doctoral programs for better employment outcomesInnovation hubs and science parks running researcher-industry matchmaking programsHR consulting firms specializing in R&D and technical talent placementGovernment agencies managing researcher mobility and employment programs

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Corporate Training & HR

mid-size

Target: HR consulting firms or corporate academies that onboard R&D talent

If you are an HR services company struggling to bridge the gap between academic researchers and industry teams — this project developed a ready-made open online course and learning resources designed to train PhD graduates in interdisciplinary teamwork, digital skills, and cross-sector communication. The course was built with input from employers and tested across 4 countries with 5 partner organizations.

Higher Education

any

Target: Universities with doctoral programs seeking to improve graduate employability

If you are a university looking to make your PhD programs more attractive by improving graduate employment outcomes — this project created an open online course platform plus a dedicated supervisor support tool. The resources are openly available and designed to be embedded into existing PhD programs, covering career development, intercultural sensitivity, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Innovation Management

SME

Target: Science parks, technology transfer offices, or innovation hubs connecting research with business

If you are running an innovation hub or technology transfer office and need researchers who can actually talk to businesses — this project developed learning resources specifically focused on the four-actor innovation model (science, policy, industry, society). The 13 deliverables include practical tools for building networks and managing interdisciplinary teams across sectors.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to use or adapt these training resources?

The open online course and learning resources were designed to be openly available to all. Based on available project data, there are no licensing fees mentioned — the outputs are open educational resources. Adaptation costs for corporate use would depend on your customization needs.

Can this scale to train large numbers of employees?

The course was built as an open online platform, which is inherently scalable. It was developed and tested across a 4-country consortium with 5 partner organizations. However, the original design targets PhD-level researchers, so adapting it for broader corporate audiences would require additional work.

What is the IP situation — can we use this commercially?

Based on available project data, all three key deliverables (the open online course, the online learning resource, and the supervisor support tool) are described as openly available. The project was a Coordination and Support Action funded with EUR 304,815, which typically means outputs are public goods rather than proprietary IP.

Is there evidence this training actually improves employability?

The project included evaluation components — the supervisor support tool specifically mentions a survey-based evaluation following use. The course content was co-designed with employers and PhD graduates to identify skills valued in open innovation systems. However, long-term employment outcome data is not available in the project documentation.

How long does the training program take to complete?

Based on available project data, the specific duration of the course is not stated. The project ran for 17 months (February 2021 to June 2022), during which the course was designed, delivered, and evaluated. The modular design with separate learning resources and supervisor tools suggests flexible implementation.

Can this integrate with our existing learning management system?

The open online course was built on an open, publicly available platform with working spaces for discussion, collaboration, and innovation. Based on available project data, the resources are designed to be embedded in other settings, suggesting compatibility with external systems is intended.

Consortium

Who built it

The consortium of 5 partners across 4 countries (Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland, Japan) is entirely academic — 3 universities, 1 research organization, and 1 other entity, with zero industrial partners and zero SMEs. This is typical for a Coordination and Support Action focused on education rather than technology commercialization. The absence of industry voices in the consortium is notable given the project's stated goal of improving industry employability. University College Dublin coordinated, and the international spread including Japan adds geographic diversity but the lack of business partners means the outputs have not been stress-tested against real corporate training needs.

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, DUBLINCoordinator · IE
AARHUS UNIVERSITETparticipant · DK
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND MAYNOOTHparticipant · IE

How to reach the team

University College Dublin — reach out to the School of Education or equivalent department leading this project

Order a report on this consortium See UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, DUBLIN profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to adapt these open training resources for your corporate R&D onboarding? SciTransfer can connect you with the development team and help customize the course for your industry.

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