From Thesis to Transition An INSIGHT-Inspired Approach to Co-Designing Industry 5.0 Competency Pathways for Early-Stage Researchers

Jul 16, 2026

Europe faces a critical translation gap where doctoral excellence often fails to convert into industrial impact. Industry 5.0 requires technical depth combined with sustainability and human-centric design, yet higher education commonly operates in academic silos. This paper proposes an approach from the Horizon Europe INSIGHT initiative to co-design modular competency pathways for early-stage researchers, combining foundational translational skills with Industry 5.0 literacies through expert interviews and co-design workshops.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

Introduction

Europe’s translation gap

Industry 5.0 context and emerging needs

This paper was presented at the XXXVII ISPIM Innovation Conference, held in Granada, Spain on 07 June to 10 June 2026. ISBN 978-952-65771-2-8. | From Thesis to Transition: An INSIGHT-Inspired Approach to Co-Designing Industry 5.0 Competency Pathways for Early-Stage Researchers | | --- | | Georg Macher*2 , Omar Veledar2 , Suad Krilašević 10 , Raluca Coscodaru8 , Luca Barbera 11 , Eleni Matinopoulou7 , Andrea Louzan Perez3 , Sisi Pörröinen-Kaunis4 ,Crinela Silvia Dragan8 , Gülsah Solmaz6 , Chiara Ferrarini5 , Franz Valko-Tassu4 , Maryia Petkova9 , Alba Dominguez Pedreira3 , Matteo Falsetta 1 * Corresponding author, [e-mail georg.macher@tugraz.at](e-mail georg.macher@tugraz.at) 1 EIT Digital, BE 2 Graz University of Technology, AT 3 Centro Tecnológico de Automoción de Galicia, ES 4 Independent researcher, FI 5 RE:Lab, IT 6 Fraunhofer Ges. z. Förderung der Angewandten Forschung, DE 7 Erevnitiko Panepistimiako Institouto Systimation Epikoinonion Kai Ypologiston, EL 8 Unitatea Executiva Pentru Finantarea Invatamantului Superior ACercetarii Dezvoltarii Si Inovarii, RO 9 Regional Agency for Entrepreneurship and Innovations Varna, BG 10 Asocijacija za napredak nauke I tehnologije, BA 11 University Industry Innovation Network, NL Abstract: Europe faces a critical "translation gap" where doctoral excellence in academia often fails to convert into industrial impact. While Industry 5.0 demands a blend of technical depth, sustainability, and human-centric design, traditional higher academic education remains siloed. This paper presents an approach from the Horizon Europe INSIGHT initiative to co-design modular competency pathways for early-stage researchers. Using a multimethodological analysis framework, including expert interviews and co-design workshops, we propose a two-layer competency architecture. This layers foundational translational skills (communication, project management) with Industry 5.0 literacies (data governance, value creation) . Rather than proposing fixed training tracks, the paper outlines emerging pathway directions and the design principles behind them: modularity, practical relevance, mentoring-rich support, and cross-sector applicability. Its contribution is a scalable way of researcher development towards useful real-world application. Keywords: Industry 5.0; Early-stage researchers; Competency pathways; Cross-sector collaboration; Transferable skills; Innovation management. | This paper was presented at the XXXVII ISPIM Innovation Conference, held in Granada, Spain on 07 June to 10 June 2026. ISBN 978-952-65771-2-8. 1 Introduction Europe does not lack talented researchers. Doctoral students are vital in network configurations, acting as primary vessels for knowledge transfer between universities and companies. Their research experience is increasingly conditioned by the degree of institutionalisation of collaborative arrangements and the prior experience of the involved parties (Thune, 2009) . What Europe lacks is enough researchers who can move effectively between academic environments and application-oriented innovation settings. In many disciplines, doctoral and early research training still produce strong technical depth, methodological rigour, and scientific originality, yet these strengths do not automatically translate into cross-sector readiness. The problem is not that researchers are underqualified. It is that the environments in which they are trained and the environments in which they are later expected to create value often reward different things. Academic contexts still tend to privilege novelty, publications, and disciplinary excellence, while industry and broader innovation settings often prioritise implementation, reliability, speed, collaboration, and usable solutions. As a result, many early-stage researchers enter the labour market with impressive scientific capability but weaker preparation for navigating non-academic expectations, translating r

FAQs

What problem does the paper identify in Europe’s research-to-industry pipeline?

The paper highlights a translation gap: doctoral excellence often does not convert into industrial impact because academic training and application-oriented innovation environments reward different capabilities.

Why is Industry 5.0 a key context for researchers’ competencies?

Industry 5.0 blends digital technologies, sustainability, and human-centered design. Researchers must engage with stakeholders beyond disciplinary communities and understand implementation constraints, collaboration, and societal implications.

How does the INSIGHT-inspired approach propose to develop early-stage researchers?

Using multimethod analysis such as expert interviews and co-design workshops, the approach co-designs modular competency pathways based on a two-layer competency architecture combining translational skills with Industry 5.0 literacies.

Jul 16, 2026

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