My presentation for the EAAE PhD Workshop in Barcelona, 2017 to provide PhD students with some insights on a career in ag econ: themes, changing institutions, competences

1. What a PhD candidate should know about
research after finishing a thesis
Krijn Poppe
Wageningen Economic Research
November 2017 EAAE PhD workshop Barcelona

2. Content of the presentation
 Introduction: Wageningen UR and my background
 Some trends in society
 Effects on AKIS – Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation
System
 How we react in Wageningen UR
 A career at the University
 A career in applied policy analysis

3. Wageningen University & Research
Wageningen University & Wageningen Research

4. Wageningen University & Research
 Academic research & education, and applied research
 5,800 employees (5,100 fte)
 >10,000 students (>125 countries)
 Several locations
 Turnover about € 650 million
 Number 1 Agricultural University for the 4th year in a row
(National Taiwan Ranking)
To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life

6. Krijn J. Poppe
 (Business) Economist
 Research Manager at
Wageningen Economic Research
 Member of the Council for the
Environment and Infrastructure
(foto: Fred Ernst)
 Member Advisory Committee Province of South-Holland on the
quality of the Living Environment
 Board member of SKAL – Dutch organic certification body
 Fellow EAAE. Former Secretary General of the EAAE, now involved
in managing its publications (ERAE, EuroChoices)
 Former Chief Science Officer Ministry of Agriculture

7. Trends in society
 Disruptive role of ICT
 Issues in the food chain:
sustainability and health
 The end of the expert and the
answer of citizen science

8. Disruptive ICT Trends:
 Mobile/Cloud Computing – smart phones, wearables,
incl. sensors
 Internet of Things – everything gets connected in the
internet (virtualisation, M2M, autonomous devices)
 Location-based monitoring - satellite and remote sensing
technology, geo information, drones, etc.
 Social media - Facebook, Twitter, Wiki, etc.
 Block Chain – Tracing & Tracking, Contracts.
Big Data - Web of Data, Linked Open Data, Big data
algorithms
High Potential for unprecedented innovations!
everywhere
anything
anywhere
everybody

9. Trends in the food chain
9

10. Food chain: 2 weak spots – opportunity?
Input industriesFarmerFood processorConsumer Retail
• Public health issues –
obesity, Diabetes-2 etc.
• Climate change asks for
changes in diet
• Strong structural change
• Environmental costs
need to be internalised
• Climate change (GHG)
strengthens this
Is it coincidence that these 2 are the weakest groups?
Are these issues business opportunities and do new
technologies like ICT help?

11. The end of the expert and the answer of
citizen science
 Post-modernism: “science is just
another opinion”
 There is distrust of experts
 And of elites / the powerful
 Commercial influences in research
 Media looking for new business
models (advertising goes online)
 Politicians more short sighted?
Citizen science, (digital) commons

12. Effects of trends on AKIS – agricultural
knowledge and innovation system
 Some findings from the SCAR – AKIS strategic working
groups
 Case study: the Netherlands
 What does it mean for the PhD
● Working in a university
● Working in an applied (policy) research institute

13. The FOOD CHAIN and AKIS

14. 3 Scenario’s to explore the future
 HighTech: strong influence new technology owned by
multinationals. Driverless tractors, contract farming and a rural
exodus. US of Europe. Rich society with inequality.
Sustainability issues solved. Bio-boom scenario.
 Self-organisation: Europe of regions where new ICT
technologies with disruptive business models lead to self-
organisation, bottom-up democracy, short-supply chains, multi-
functional agriculture. European institutions are weak, regions
and cities rule. Inequalities between regions, depending on
endowments.
 Collapse: Big climate change effects, mass-migration and
political turbulence leads to a collapse of institutions and
European integration. Regional and local communities look for
self-sufficiency. Bio-scarcity and labour intensive agriculture.
Technology development becomes dependent on science in
China, India, Brazil.

15. AKIS in the 3 scenario’s
HIGH TECH SELF-
ORGANISATION
COLLAPSE
Uni-
versity
A few big Life Science
Uni’s. Intense
collaboration with
companies. MOOCs
and TEDx’s (3rd
generation model:
innovation)
Many regional
universities that
specialise. 2nd
generation
(teaching and
research).
Reduced public
funding, struggle to
keep alive and stay
relevant. Back to first
generation university
(teaching).
Applied
research
Moves into (applied)
universities.
Moves into applied
(higher) education.
Relatively important
over fundamental
research..
Farm
research
stations
Public and collective
funding ends;
disappear
More intertwined
with applied
research and
advisory service.
disappear
Advisory
service
Service provided by
multi-nationals and
their computer-
generated advice.
Mix of public
extension service
and commercial
advisory
organisations.
Disappear, some help
from local do-gooders
/ lead farmers. Big
role of donors

16. Can we make AKIS more robust ?
 Experiment with public-private partnerships
 Welcome regions, cities and NGO’s as partners
 Create links (cross-overs) with other sectors: Bio-
economy, energy, ict, food & health, logistics etc.
 Transdisciplinary, Social dialogue, Governance issues
 Create research-infrastructures that foster
collaboration (ERA), that support national / regional
research and innovation and help to introduce E-
Science
 Don’t forget education - link it better in AKIS
 Collaborate with international partners (US, China,
India) and better integrate AR and ARD

17. Case study: The Netherlands and its history
• Public research in agriculture dates from the 1880s
• Ministry of Agriculture responsible for agricultural education
• Investments in education, extension and research is one of the
most important policy instruments of the Ministry of
Agriculture (and 40% of its budget)
• helps also in national co-governance politics
• EER Triptych: Education, Extension and Research
• Contributed to the modernization process after WO II
• Based on classical linear model of innovation

18. The linear model of innovation
Figure The linear model of
innovation
Fundamental Science
Applied Science
Education (future generation) &
Extension (current generation
farmers)
Farming practice
Generation of
Innovations
Transfer of
Innovations
Application of
Innovations

19. Driving forces for institutional changes in R&D
Table 2 Driving forces in Dutch agriculture that lead to institutional changes in research
Driving force From ….. To …..
Consumer demand Production of (basic)
food
Value added by food chain
Public interest Modernisation of farming Cope with externalities, supply
management and ‘consumer
concerns’ (like landscape and animal
welfare)
Labour market Hidden unemployment in
farming, low education
and local labour markets
Regional labour markets with
shortages and well educated farmers,
Farm households Weak integration in
markets
Heavily integrated, often non-farm
income of spouse
Farm business Lack of (access to)
capital
Capital intensive, high land prices
(collateral), well integrated in credit
market
Organisation food chain Small local cooperatives Large multinationals

20. Institutional changes to improve performance
 Privatisation of extension: end of EER triptych (1980s)
 Applied research institutes merged into agency outside
civil service
● and from input to output finance
● Shift from technical research to environmental /
social
● more multidisciplinary
● decline co-financing by Commodity Boards
(heterogeneous farms)
● PPS matching schemes (AKK)
 1996 – merge applied research institutes and university
● different organizational integration models

21. Institutional changes to improve performance
• Transition to sustainable agriculture:
• InnovationNetwork: radical new concepts
• Transforum: towards Open Agro-Innovation
System
• More research by regional agricultural schools
• to solve the knowledge paradox
• ‘good in science, bad in innovation’
• How to assess effectiveness and efficiency of such
decisions?
• not by productivity analysis but what else?

22. M&E Transition to agro innovation system
 Knowledge creation is not a linear process
 More Mode 2 than Mode 1 (Gibbons)
 Triple Helix: dynamics of networks important
Mode 1 Mode 2
Academic Oriented towards application
Discipline-oriented Transdisciplinary
Homogeneous Heterogeneous
Linear and stable Non-linear and volatile
Academic quality control Quality management on a
broader set of criteria
Accountable to peers Accountable to society

23. Trendsin universities
Medieval or First
Generation University
Humboldt or Second
Generation University
Third Generation
University
First Transition
Period
Second Transition
Period
J.G. Wissema Associates bv
Thanks to R. Rabbinge

24. Emerging: The 3G University and the know
how carousel
Know how carousel: the more
elements, the more the others are
reinforced. Synergy and scale
create winners
Scientific
research and
education
Private R&D
institutions
R&D
departments of
companies,
Technoparks
Financial
infrastructure
Professional
support
organisations
Technostarters
J.G. Wissema Associates bv
Thanks to R. Rabbinge

25. Contours of a 3G University
Cooperation: via know how carousel and other
ways. The 3G University is a network university
Addition of know how exploitation as third
objective. Know how exploitation will be integrated
with research and education
Recovery of academic integrity
End of direct government contribution
● Fundamental research from state grants/donations
● Applied research from industrial and state grants
● Education via market mechanism, students pay full
fees and get support from state or other grants
J.G. Wissema Associates bv
Thanks to R. Rabbinge

26. The Wageningen approach: biological
Gene/ Molecule
Cell
Organism
Products
Ecosystem
Planet
technologies

27. The Wageningen approach: biological and social
Individual
Society
Community
Household
Gene/ MoleculeGene/ Molecule
Cell
Organism
Products
Ecosystem
Planet
Policy & limiting conditions
institutions
technologies
peopleprofitplanet

28. Tenure track at Wageningen University
Wageningen University & Research offers young talented
scientists a challenging career trajectory, Tenure Track. We
have the ambition to attract top scientific talent and to
stimulate their development.
Chances for top scientific talent
You will start as an Assistant Professor and will grow into
the position of Professor holding a personal chair in a
period of twelve years. We are looking for high potentials
who can excel in education and research.
This challenging career path can lead to a permanent
position at Wageningen University & Research when you
meet the quality criteria. You will build your own line of
research.

29. Tenure track at Wageningen University
Development programme
During the entire trajectory you will be intensively
supervised and coached. A development programme,
especially developed for Wageningen University &
Research by Leeuwendaal Advies, is included.
The development programme starts with an assessment,
in which you will explore which competencies are
important for you in your career and which competencies
need to be further developed. The outcome of this survey
will be used to make up your own Personal Development
Plan. This plan comprehends training, group intervision
and personal coaching.
Time to excel

30. The EAAE supports with its publications

31. Working @Wageningen Economic Research
 Applied research commissioned by Dutch government,
European Commission (incl. H2020), Public-private
partnerships
 Research lines of H2020, Policy research and PPP on
several topics (sustainability, food security, food-health
etc.)
 Career involves project management, business
development.
 In general excellent T-shaped skills needed in
multidisciplinary project teams. Sector-knowledge.
 Including presentations for non-expert audiences, policy
advise.

32. The EAAE supports with its publications

33. 10 Commandments (from Don Paarlberg)
1. Get your economics straight ('Nobody expects you to be a
political expert, but people do expect you to know your
economics')
2. Do not leak ('Report only to your boss'; 'if you have a poor
memory, tell the truth, so you can remember what you said
earlier')
3. Do not be overly concerned with survival ('survival is a
means, not an end')
4. Be sure your boss wants an honest job
5. Anticipate, probe and be objective ('try to anticipate issues
and research them before they become emotional'; 'it is
better to break new trails than to shift the ashes of the
campfires laid by others')

34. 10 Commandments (from Don Paarlberg)
6. Do not be rigid ('research should be done in the spirit of
inquire, and the essence of inquiry is that it is not too sure
of the answers')
7. Do not malign the bureaucracy
8. Do not impugn a person's motives ('if you have a
difference with a person, allow him a way to retreat with
honor' - Eisenhower)
9. Communicate well, respect deadlines ('a perfect report,
oral or written, received after the deadline is useless'; 'be
brief and use plain language')
10.In special cases disregard the above

35. Thanks for your
attention
and we welcome
collaboration in
your projects !
krijn.poppe@wur.nl
www.wur.nl