INESC Porto’s Human Resources all over the world

MSc Dissertation reveals that INESC Porto is present in most continents

Did you know that INESC Porto’s know-how is present in most continents, from Europe to the USA, in Brazil and even in Australia? And that many researchers who have worked at INESC Porto are now contributing to the success of companies and institutions, such as CERN, ESA, Sony, Nokia, Google, Microsoft, Cisco Systems, Texas Instruments, Alstom, EDF or Nintendo? And did you know that some of them are doing research and teaching at Queen Mary College London, Columbia University, MIT, Max Planck Institute or Universität Karlsruhe? That is the conclusion of a study carried out by researcher Cristiana Pedrosa on networks, mobility and connections between human resources, with INESC Porto as case study. This dissertation confirmed the growing presence of INESC Porto in foreign institutions that benefit, not only from the experience and knowledge acquired by the collaborators who worked at INESC Porto, but also from a continuous knowledge exchange that can lead to valuable partnerships.

INESC Porto as case study

Cristiana Pedrosa, researcher at the Innovation and Technology Transfer Unit (UITT), chose INESC Porto as case study for her MSc Dissertation, entitled The Strength of Weak or Strong Ties - Assessing the influence of Technology Research Organizations based on Human Resources mobility. Here, the aim was to assess the influence of R&D institutions based on the mobility of human resources. When asked on why she chose this theme, the researcher explains that she thought it would be “interesting to adopt a method based on the mobility of human resources because it was so innovative” and because it allowed her to “somewhat explore the area of sociology”, an area that is very different from her area of expertise [engineering].

According to Cristiana Pedrosa, INESC Porto was the immediate choice due to the proximity and connection that the MIETE professors have with the institution, as is the case of the MSc supervisor, Aurora Teixeira. The intention with this work was to understand how INESC Porto’s culture influences its collaborators and how the institutions welcoming them can benefit from the knowledge and experience that they have acquired previously at INESC Porto. And the results are clear: INESC Porto’s influence has been rapidly increasing, as well as the presence of its collaborators all over the world. “In fact, it was possible to understand that INESC Porto is present in most continents and in prestigious institutions, such as Queen Mary College London, Columbia University, MIT, Max Planck Institute or a Universität Karlsruhe”, Cristiana Pedrosa highlights.

Former collaborators and the relationship with INESC Porto

For her study, in 2009, Cristiana Pedrosa directly contacted 155 of more than 700 former INESC Porto collaborators in order to try and understand the path, contacts and the influence that the institution had on their careers, having concluded that INESC Porto’s influence is proportional to the time that the collaborators spent at the institution. Using the Granovette’s "Weak ties theory", a sociological theory that the researcher adapted to her work, she established that the collaborators who had worked for more than one year at INESC Porto would be referred to as having “strong ties”, while the workers who have worked at INESC Porto for less than one year would be referred to as having “weak ties”. In this case, “INESC Porto’s influence will be bigger for collaborators with strong ties, while for the weak ties that influence will not be that significant”, the researcher explains.

As it was possible to conclude, INESC Porto is generally seen as a reference and, for most collaborators, it has proved to be “crucial for the development of technical and personal competences, such as creativity, professionalism, teamwork, among others”, the researcher reveals. These former collaborators, currently working in countries, such as Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, USA, Brazil, Australia and, of course, Portugal, also highlight the “the mixed culture and values that they have experienced and learned at INESC Porto as important influences in their careers, which will then be transported and reflected in their work at the hosting institutions”, she adds. Furthermore, by welcoming several trainees every year, INESC Porto is “seen as a transition between the academic and entrepreneurial worlds”, she adds.

An approach based on the mobility of human resources

In her dissertation, the researcher proposes a new approach to assess the influence of R&D institutions based on the mobility of human resources, as opposed to a merely econometric approach (in which the results directly related to the institutions’ economic impact are analysed, such as royalties, licenses, patents, as well as generated employment and spin-off companies), or a scientometric and bibliometric approach (where the scientific production of the institutions is analysed, for instance, through publications and quotation analysis).

Because they only consider these indicators, in a way, the approaches explored previously are not sufficient. Still, these models do not exclude each other. In fact, they do complement each other because, according to Cristiana Pedrosa, with an “approach based on the mobility of human resources, we get a new perspective on the influence of R&D institutions and we manage to build a network of companies and organisations that are connected to INESC Porto through its former collaborators”, she states. Thus, “we have an idea of the extension of INESC Porto, both geographically and sectorially, as well as of the potential that its former human resources can represent”, she adds.

INESC Porto researchers in the world

As expected, according to this study, all of the parties involved can benefit from this connection. In fact, if the former INESC Porto researchers “remain linked to the institution in a way, the information exchanges will continue and, as a result, potential formal connections and partnerships with the welcoming institutions can be promoted". In its turn, “the welcoming institution will benefit not only from the experience and knowledge that INEC Porto’s human resources have acquired, but also from the continuous information exchange that is promoted by the informal connections between INESC Porto and its former collaborators”, the researcher highlights.

The mobility of human resources is thus seen as a way to promote knowledge flows between organisations and companies. Even though most of these organisations are located in Portugal, INESC Porto’s international network has been increasing considerably, already registering collaborators in 17 countries and in most continents. When questioned whether she thought that the multidisciplinary culture and excellence promoted at INESC Porto could be seen as attractive features for hosting institutions, Cristiana Pedrosa readily replies: “Without a doubt. Mainly in the technology-based areas where knowledge is also tacit and implicit in the human resources, and so this mobility is one way to transfer that tacit knowledge from one organisation to the other”, the researcher concludes.