The ABC4E project is an experimental study that aims to improve open innovation in European Research Institutes (ERI) science-driven projects. To achieve this goal, the research team has designed and tested a behavioural training based on Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) which focuses on improving scientists’ psychological flexibility, a key entrepreneurial skill, and facilitating knowledge exchange in open innovation processes.
By targeting psychological flexibility, the project aims to overcome barriers to interdisciplinary collaboration and foster effective knowledge exchange. To discover more about the project, we interviewed Clio Dosi, the project coordinator, who provided further insights into the ABC4E project, the involved partners, and the anticipated impact.
What is your personal and career journey so far?
I’m a management engineer and I have a PhD inquiring into the organizational behaviour science behind innovation in healthcare. After that, I went into the professional world, inside the design factory schools CERN also in particular. And a few years later I came back to Bologna to support research as a Research department of management and development of our factory for open innovation.
What is the idea of the project? And how did it come about?
When you ask researchers to go from advancing knowledge in science towards having an impact, you go deeper into who we are to who they are as professionals. So, besides technical competencies, we think you really need to add something that helps you in identity dynamics and that’s why we developed this training group psychologist that besides techniques of open innovation in science also works on the dynamics that change your identity.
Which partners are involved and how did you find them?
In our project, we have the University of Bologna where we, as the partner of management and factory for open innovation bring the competencies related to those innovation dynamics and the University of Kore in Sicily where we have behavioural scientists from psychology, they bring all the competencies related to identity dynamics and values that drive people behaviours.
What can be the impact of ABC4E on ATTRACT?
Our research will support research groups to improve the way they do research so that researchers can be more aware of what are the biases they have while they collaborate across knowledge boundaries. Our research, we hope will also support the KTO of those research centres with a clear training that can be provided to their people.
How do you envision participating in this project will contribute to your personal and professional development?
ATTRACT community, to me, is a unique opportunity that can give me insights into how my research can advance. So, what are the real needs, not only of research, but of those research institutions upon which I can design new programs and can advance knowledge with new research questions. It’s a great area where I can do experiments with them to test out whether our interventions, our training, and our methods can help them to advance more efficiently and effectively.
For more information
Visit the ABC4E project site.
