PhD position in the field of Business and ecosystems innovation

Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has enjoyed an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative center of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. Belonging to the best research universities of Europe and joining forces with prestigious partner universities and networks, the University of Groningen is truly an international place of knowledge.

Faculty of Economics and Business
The Faculty of Economics and Business offers an inspiring study and working environment for students and employees. International accreditation enables the Faculty to assess performance against the highest international standards. It also creates an exciting environment of continuous improvement. FEB's programmes, academic staff and research do well on various excellence ranking lists.

FEBRI, the graduate school and research institute of the Faculty of Economics and Business has one position in the field of Business and ecosystems innovation available.

Project description
In the Northern Netherlands, approximately 31 million kilos of clothing are discarded annually, of which less than 50% ends up in textile containers for reuse or recycling. More than half of all discarded textiles is incinerated, which contributes to the 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions from this sector. The consortium S3ORTED received funding from SNN/JTF to contribute to finding a solution for these problems. The mission of this consortium is to realize a new revenue model in the textile value chain, by scaling up and strengthening the (business/government/NGO) activities around sorting and recycling of consumer textiles and corporate clothing within the North of the Netherlands. The consortium consists of companies (e.g., Sympany, DEMCON), academic institutes (e.g., RUG, Hanze), governmental organisations (e.g. municipality of Groningen and Emmen), etc.

This PhD project is one of two positions available within FEBRI that are part of S3ORTED and focus on the business side of this mission. Within the S3ORTED project, other work-packages will focus on the technical development of an automated sorting process of discarded textiles as well as chemical recycling. But we also need to understand how we can create a circular textile ecosystem for business to innovate in (Project 1), and how we can make consumers recycle better, buy more second-hand and recycled textiles and thus to waste less (Project 2 - https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/work-with-us/job-opportunities/?details=00347-02S000BECP).

This vacancy call concerns Project 1:

Do you want to help shape a sustainable future for the textile industry—one that values not only economic returns, but also social cohesion, ecological sustainability, and cultural diversity?

The circular transition in textiles requires more than technology. It calls for new forms of collaboration, governance, and financing. In this interdisciplinary PhD project, you will explore how organizations can jointly develop a regional circular textile ecosystem through system integration, stakeholder alignment, and innovative business models that promote multi-value creation.

You will investigate how long-term visions and transition paths can be shaped with partners, how startups and SMEs can be mobilized to drive new value chains, and how impact investing and true pricing mechanisms can support the growth of circular business models. Your work contributes directly to the development of a future-proof regional textile economy, grounded in cooperation between companies, knowledge institutions, governments, and civil society.

You will collaborate with diverse Dutch partners, including Sympany, Code-for-Good, the municipality of Emmen, NOM, InvestNL, and other academic and regional stakeholders.

The PhD position will be embedded within the research programme Global Economics & Management at the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB). The project will be supervised by Kim Poldner, Niels Faber and Emma Folmer.

We are seeking a highly motivated candidate who wants to work at the interface of sustainability, governance, and economic innovation.

Furthermore, the ideal candidate…..

- Has a strong academic background (MSc, research master) in a field such as organizational studies, business administration, innovation studies, economics, or public administration.
- Is fluent in English and Dutch.
- Is capable of working independently as well as collaboratively, and eager to contribute to impactful interdisciplinary research.
- Has experience with qualitative and/or quantitative research methods.
- Has excellent communicative and project management skills to handle the multiple stakeholders involved in the project (e.g., municipalities, business partners, etc.).

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:

- A gross monthly salary from a minimum of € 2,901, which increases yearly to a maximum of € 3,707 for a full-time appointment.
- Based on the gross salary an additional 8% holiday allowance each year in May, and an additional 8.3 % end of year bonus in December.
- PhD candidates contribute 20% of their time to teaching in years 2-4.
- A temporary full-time appointment for a period of four years, under the condition of a positive assessment at the end of the first year.

Starting date: Preferably per 1 October 2025