Industrial doctorates: a systematic literature review and future research agenda

The aim of this systematic literature review was to understand the features, and the evolution, of industrial doctorates by analysing 54 papers published between 2002 and 2023. Two aspects were considered (i) the state of the art of the literature has been clarified through synthesis and discussion of six key themes: the main features and evolution of industrial doctorates; the design and implementation of industrial PhD programmes; the perspective of PhD candidates; the standpoint of university; the standpoint of industry; and industrial doctorates as policy tools for fostering innovation processes. There was a surge in publications after 2015, but these have mainly focused on the European context. Industrial doctorates are reshaping the doctoral education landscape as they are considered as educational tools for building bridges between academia and industry. However, there are still institutional and cultural barriers to legitimising industrial doctorates which are often considered as alternatives or even as the antithesis of ‘traditional’ PhDs; (ii) we suggest an agenda for future research to assess whether industrial doctorates do offer an effective response, or an optimal approach to meeting the demands of both the knowledge society and of doctoral candidates. Future research should seek to gather quantitative evidence in a wider variety of geographical areas, taking into account the distinctive features of both institutional contexts, and of the diverse scientific fields and industrial sectors involved. Studies of the long-term impacts of industrial doctorates on students’ research outcomes, their career trajectories and, on the performance of local ecosystems are needed.