YOUNG RESEARCHERS FOR THE ECONOMY

摘要

Financing postgraduate study and research training for young researchers from companies is an important policy instrument in Slovenia. In 2001 Slovenia has started a programme titled "Young Researchers for the Economy" which is still running. This programme was created to provide a quality platform where young candidates can receive great experiences in the companies during their postgraduate doctoral study which will make it easier for them to cope with the challenges of innovative products, technologies or services. Objectives of the programme are: to build environment for an effective transfer of knowledge from the scientific-research environment into economy environment, to obtain a higher education level of people employed in the companies and to establish or increase the research groups set up in companies, especially in SMEs. Candidates for young researchers can be applied by companies which have their own research group or have cooperation agreement with external research group. The research group has to be registered in evidence at the Public Agency for Research of the Republic of Slovenia of its research performance and development activity. Funds for the training of young researchers are intended for research-development work and postgraduate doctoral study for a fixed-term, up to a maximum of four years and six months. The average annual cost of financing one young researcher is 30.000 EUR. Eligible costs are salary, social contributions as well as material and non-material costs for research-development and doctoral study and reimbursement for mentoring. Features of "Young Researchers for the Economy" programme are: the work of young researchers is focused on the applied research-development projects in the companies during their postgraduate studies; their research-development work is oriented into problems which are of interest and importance for the companies. The aim is however that those young researchers become accustomed to the new conditions in the economic society. Another feature is that they have regular, fixed-term employment contracts with the companies during training. The programme results into intensive knowledge transfer from the scientific-research environment into economy environment, establishment of permanent links between companies and higher-education institutions and/or research organisations, higher education level of employees in the companies and new or stronger companies research groups with young and highly educated people. Most of the companies in Slovenia that have collaborated in this programme have developed advanced and/or new technologies or created highly technological products. Therefore, the priority is to keep a good and continuous bond between these two partners. The programme will be run at least until 2010. In the paper programme "Young Researchers for the Economy" will be treated in detail including its history, public call and assessment of the applications, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the programme.