Research Performance ./2016 From: Horta H., Cattaneo M., Meoli M. - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

PhD Funding and Research Performance

………./2016

From: Horta H., Cattaneo M., Meoli M. 2016, «PhD funding as a determinant of PhD and career research performance», Studies in Higher Education

PhD degrees

• A PhD degree is the

starting point for an academic career

• A large number of PhD

students is needed to promote cultural and technological innovation in a «knowledge society»

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Source: EUA Funding Observatory

Source: The Guardian 2014 - Securing funding is launchpad to your academic future. Photograph: Alamy

Motivation

• Notwithstanding the benefit of a PhD degree:
• On the one side…
• The number of PhD students in Italian university has dramatically decreased

since the onset of the recent financial crisis

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25000 27000 29000 31000 33000 35000 37000 39000 41000

2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

Number of PhD students in Italy

• 21%

Motivation

• On the other side…
• There are issues related to the financial sustainability of PhD programs (e.g. in

the UK context)



e.g. in the academic year 2011/12, 40% of UK PhD students did not receive any support from any financing entity (The Guardian)



22% of PhD students enrolled at the University College London was self-financed during the academic year 2011/12 (The Guardian)

• There are «new stories» to tell…

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Objective

• This study aims to analyse the effects of financing support on

the research performance of PhD students, looking at different dimensions:

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Performance measure: 1. Scientific productivity (all, international) 2. Scientific visibility (all, international) Horizon: 1. Performance during the PhD 2. Performance during the whole research career Type of support: 1. PhD grants by the central government 2. Project-related grants

Methodology

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• Our analysis covers a sample of Portoguese PhD students

who received their doctoral degree before December 2009

(Source: 2009 CDH - Careers of Doctorate Holders - OECD)

• Empirical analysis:
• In order to analyse the impact of PhD funding on scientific

productivity, accounting for unobservable individual features (such as motivation), a propensity score matching was implemented

• We make use of multivariate regression analyses controlling for
• bservable individual features (i.e. gender and age) and

institutional characteristics (i.e. prestige)

Variables

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• Productivity (PhD): Number of papers published per year during the

PhD program

• Visibility (PhD): Number of citations per paper per year during the

PhD program

• Productivity (Career): Number of papers published per year after the

accomplishment of the PhD program

• Visibility (Career): Number of citations per paper per year after the

accomplishment of the PhD program

Analyses

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0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6 0,7 0,8 Finanziati Non finanziati

Productivity (Career)

8 8,5 9 9,5 10 10,5 11 Finanziati Non finanziati

Visibility (Career)

0,5 1 1,5 2 2,5 3 3,5 4 4,5 Finanziati Non finanziati

Visibility (PhD)

0,05 0,1 0,15 0,2 0,25 Finanziati Non finanziati

Productivity (PhD) No Grant PhD Funding No Grant PhD Funding No Grant PhD Funding No Grant PhD Funding

Results 1/2

Performance during the PhD:

1.

Being granted a doctoral scholarship positively impacts

• n research performance (productivity and visibility);

2.

Nevertheless, a project-related scholarship has a negative impact on the visibility of the scientific production.

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Results 2/2

Performance during post doctoral academic career

1.

Being granted a doctoral scholarship positively impacts

• n research performance (with the exception of the

international profile)

2.

A project-related scholarship has a negative impact on all research performance measures

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Research Centre for Higher Education at the University of Bergamo Scientific Director: Professor Stefano Paleari