Technopolis BV and the Institute of Management Research (IMR) at the Radboud University Nijmegen (RU) are collaborating through a joint research project entitled ‘Challenge-oriented innovation’. As part of this project, Technopolis BV is now recruiting a ‘Research Analyst’ who will hold a dual position as Consultant (Analyst) at Technopolis and a (intended) PhD-candidate at RU.  This position is ideal for candidates who aim to pursue a policy consulting career while also pursuing further academic ambitions.

Responsibilities
Consulting Activities at Technopolis:

• Execution of analyses for projects in the area of science, technology and innovation policy for our  clients, of high quality and within time and budget.
• Design of data collection strategies.
• Development of data scraping, processing and analysis techniques for large-scale or novel data sources.
• Development of models and methodologies for investigating policy research questions.
• Design, implementation and analysis of surveys.
• Broader policy analysis based on desk review.
• Design, implementation and analysis of interviews.
• Supporting the organisation of policy workshops.
• Writing reports and visualisation of data.
• Contributing to the acquisition of new projects (business development and sales).
• Contributing to a good atmosphere within Technopolis.
• Sharing the responsibility for your own professional development.

Research activities at Radboud University:

• Development of a concrete research proposal around the research theme (see below).
• Design and implement research projects within the scope of the research theme.
• Participation in academic conferences and seminars.
• Production of academic articles.
• Working towards a PhD-thesis.

• A (nearly) completed Master ‘s degree in Economics, Management, Organisation Studies, Innovation Sciences, or similar degree.
• A drive to combine applied policy consulting in the area of Science, Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship and in-depth academic research.
• A strong aptitude for quantitative analysis, in particular using programming-based data management and analysis.
• Experience in techniques such as web-scraping, semantic text analysis, and machine learning is an advantage.
• An interest and curiosity in the study of innovation and entrepreneurship from both an applied policy as well as academic perspective.
• Experience in policy analysis is an advantage.
• Excellent level of English (spoken and written). Working level proficiency of Dutch is an advantage. Proficiency in other languages is an additional advantage.
• An engaged colleague that looks to be part of a bigger team.
• Between 0 and 4 years of work experience.

• A unique opportunity to combine a policy consulting career with a PhD-track.
• A position of 36-40 hours per week, of which typically four days spent on consulting and one day on research activities.
• Challenging and varied projects for national, regional and international clients in a highly dynamic field.
• An excellent working environment in a small team of about 30 professionals, part of a larger international group (10 countries with in total around 180 staff).
• Strong opportunities for professional development including projectmanagement and sales.
• A competitive salary based on your background and experience. The salary includes a bonus component, based on personal performance and company results.
• A first-class train pass for your commute.
• Business laptop and phone.
• Participation in the Technopolis BV retirement plan.
• Flexible start, latest by September 2020.

Working arrangements
Technopolis BV will be the employer of the Research Analyst, on a fulltime (36 or 40h) basis. The RA will work 28-32 hours on regular commercial activities for Technopolis at its premises in Amsterdam (or elsewhere if required for project work), and 8-10 hours at IMR in Nijmegen on research activities in the form of an ‘(prospective) external PhD candidate’. As Technopolis will be the employer, all working conditions (primary and secondary benefits) of Technopolis apply). IMR will provide access to a (flexible) working place for 1 day a week, access to its research infrastructure (university account, library access) as well as PhD-level training opportunities through the IMR doctoral school.

About Technopolis

Technopolis Group is a leading international policy consultancy firm, operating across the globe with 12 offices in Europe, Africa and Latin America.  Technopolis Group’s Dutch office, based in Amsterdam, provides research and consultancy services on science, technology and innovation policy. Founded in 1996, we serve clients in the Netherlands, Flanders, across Europe and beyond. Our team of passionate domain and methodological experts is dedicated to providing the (semi-) public sector with high-quality strategic and policy studies and valuable advice.

Every day our team of 30+ people strives to help solve societal problems, strengthen the economy and improve policies and organisations. Our thought-leaders bring new developments in policy research and advice into practice and are up-to-date on the latest trends in science, technology and innovation. Over the years, our advice, visions and best practices have been adopted by policymakers all over Europe and beyond.

Our expertise is broad and covers all thematic areas within Technopolis Group. Apart from the general focus on science, technology and innovation, we have considerable experience of green economy, health & life sciences, industry, entrepreneurship, emerging markets, higher education, intellectual property and standards and regional policy. We offer extensive expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methods.

About Nijmegen School of Management / Radboud University

The Nijmegen School of Management (NSM) is an academic center  of research and higher education, focusing on responsible governance for sustainable societies. There are seven disciplines within the NSM: Business Administration, Public Administration, Political Science, Economics and Business Economics, Social and Political Sciences of the Environment, Human Geography, and Spatial Planning.

The PhD-research that is part of this position will be embedded in the department of Economics and Business Economics of NSM. This department is responsible for the development and quality of the Bachelor’s and Master’s programs in Economics, as well as for the research program ‘Governance of Economic Behavior’. What sets the Nijmegen curriculum in Economics apart is that it characterized by a multidisciplinary approach, whereby, in addition to the economics discipline, inspiration is sought from other areas. The head of this department, Prof. dr. Joris Knoben, will be the promotor and first supervisor of the PhD-project.