Interdisciplinary international training on ICT for developing societal impact

Objective

Hiperdigitization of almost all the spheres of our everyday lives is a fact. Technologies are in constant transformation, and their effects on society require a continuous study that poses enormous challenges. Technologists need to develop products that can reach and impact the society, and be able to measure this impact and design the interventions accordingly. Similarly, non-technological research will need to be aware of the scope of recent technological developments. Only professionals with a perspective that goes beyond the traditional disciplines can analyze, comprehend and assess the impact of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in our social, economic, political and cultural environment. The IN2TIC is an innovative 65-month doctoral training programme where interdisciplinarity, instead of being just one of the components of research, is the foundation upon which training is designed and research is built. We propose to attract 24 full-time Doctoral Candidates (DC) that will enjoy a 36-month training period to become excellent researchers able to solve complex interdisciplinary problems connected to the effects of the ICT in almost every critical human activity. IN2TIC is based on excellent supervision, emphasis on transferable skills, exposure to non-academic sectors, and an international environment, with a personalized design of the stays, secondments or collaborations that better increase the impact of the research and the visibility of the DC. Special effort is put into mentoring and providing a strong and individualized career plan development. The Open University of Catalonia (UOC) is one of the rare institutions where the borders between disciplines are intentionally fuzzy, fertilizing the ground for international, intersectoral and interdisciplinary collaborations. Moreover it offers mentoring and professional psychological assistance to DC, R&I experienced support, as well as full access to the institution research facilities.