The Role of Human Capital in Science, Technology and Innovation

A special issue of the journal “Foresight and STI Government” dedicated to the impact of the technological progress on the employment perspectives and the development of competencies has been published. One of the papers included into the issue was a joint study by Dzhamilya Abuzyarova, Veronika Belousova, Zhaklin Krayushkina, Yulia Lonshcikova, Ekaterina Nikiforova and Nikolay Chichkanov entitled “The Role of Human Capital in Science, Technology and Innovation”.

The abstract of the study:

“As a result of the transformation of the labor market, the constant development of human capital has become crucial. This paper considers the role of human capital in professional development through the prism of 16 semi-structured interviews with both Russian and foreign graduates of a master’s program focused on training experts in the field of science, technology, and innovation. Most of the graduates of the program found jobs in the corporate sector and at research centers, but among the interviewees, there were also representatives who chose self-employment or public service. The contribution of undergraduate and master’s degrees to the professional development of these interviewees was assessed and they noted that if studying at the undergraduate level contributed primarily to obtaining subject knowledge, then studying at the master’s level contributed to the development of missing competencies and the opening of new professional opportunities. Interviewees identified emotional and social intelligence as key skills in their professional development and noted the critical importance of digital skills and subject knowledge. In turn, the most popular way of training, in the opinion of respondents, is online education.”

The full text of the study can be found here.