HDR Student Industry Engagement for Supervisors

With close to 50% of HDR students gaining employment in organisations beyond academia, it is critical that their HDR prepares them to succeed in both academic and industry environments. 

To do this, they will need skills in research communication, collaboration, stakeholder management, project management and an understanding of industry contexts.  These skills are highly sought by industry employers of HDRs and will give them the ability to apply their expertise to industry problems.  Many of these skills are also critical for future success in an academic career, both for teaching industry-relevant courses, and to develop collaborations that create impact for society, the environment, culturally and economically.

Industry engagement activities are proven to support development of these skills as well as providing opportunities for HDR students to expand their networks, explore potential career options and gain a new perspective on their research. As HDRs build their networks, these connections can flow through to supervisors as opportunities for future collaboration and potentially, to broaden the scope of their practice.

Read about some industry engagement experiences and the benefits they created for Flinders HDR students

The Department of Education and Training has also placed an emphasis on greater research-industry engagement by HDR students and is monitoring universities’ performance through biannual reporting.  More recently the NLFP also highlights the government’s focus on increasing industry – university engagement with the particular outcome of job-ready graduates.

Supervisors have a key role in connecting and enabling HDRs to engage with organisations beyond academia. A conversation at the beginning of candidature about what your HDR students want to achieve and their aspirations, particularly career goals, will help you and your student identify relevant engagement opportunities and plan these into candidature.