Presentation held at EU2013, "European Researcher Careers & Mobility" Conference, Dublin Castle, May 2013

1. MY CAREER INVARIOUS SECTORS
AND HOW I OBTAINED
THE SKILLS I NEEDED
Damien Lanfrey
Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR)
- Innovation Policy think tank -
Tuesday, May 14, 13

2. MY CAREER
- BA, Economics
- WebDev (self-study, consultancy, IT Lab Direction)
- Consultancy (market research), Milan, Italy
- MA, Management in the Network Economy, International Program
- PhD, Sociology/IT & Organizations/Web Studies
- Organization of Online Collective Action. Public engagement, organizational studies, political
sociology,Web studies, New Media
- Field work in UK, Italy and San Francisco
- Research Fellow, OII (Oxford Internet Institute)
- Webmetrics training
- Lecturer in New Media, Sociology,World Media Industry, Information Society, Research Methods
- PostDoc, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Personal research + new research, researching online advocacy through computational linguistics
- Advisor on Innovation Policy, Italian Ministry of Education, University
and Research
- Public engagement policy, open government, e-skills, open data Smart Cities, social innovation,
research policy, organizational change, Digital Agenda for Italy
Tuesday, May 14, 13

3. ACADEMIA OR NOT ?
You have worked in numerous sectors (academia, private, government) since obtaining your
doctorate degree. Why did you make those choices at the time?
Why is it that many (too many?) researchers still aim for a career in academia?
- Creating an interdisciplinary background
- Knowing different “languages”, dynamics
- Developing a path, but constantly innovating within (“forking” ?)
- Avoiding (intellectually) dead alleys
- People + projects + tangible impact
Academia: relatively little “contamination” from other sectors
Not only meanings, but (organizational) processes
Tuesday, May 14, 13

4. RIGHT SKILLS ?
1. Did you have the right skills for these jobs? What skills did you need in non-academic jobs?
How have you obtained these skills?
- Interdisciplinarity helps speaking inter-sectoral languages
- Freedom for intellectual growth
- Engagement with stakeholders (public/organizations)
- Learning by practice & through projects
- Delivery / Management by Objectives
- Context/Vision still very important
Tuesday, May 14, 13

5. NON-ACADEMIC CAREERS
How do you think non-academic careers can be made attractive to researchers? How can they
be convinced that they are competitive for such positions?
1. How do you think that Experienced Researchers can gain official recognition for the skills they
are gaining?
- Scientific method / Research questions / Analysis of issues
- Context/Vision still very important
- Delivery / Management by Objectives
-Tangible achievements
- Research paths in various sectors
New professionalities, rewarding research skills in various sectors
Tuesday, May 14, 13

6. WHAT CAN BE DONE
Interdiscplinary [paths and places]
Short Research/Innovation Fellowships/Challenge Prizes
[procurement]
Aiming to Social Impact / Public opinion on research /
Communication skills [Pubblica]
Sociablity / People / Fostering non-linear encounters
[Innovitalia]
Promoting reserch programs per se enhancing P-P-A
collaboration [Smart Cities, Social Innovation]
Tuesday, May 14, 13