Research Assistant at the Virtual Centre for Responsible Research and Innovation in Norway

About the position

Ansvarlig Forskning og Innovasjon i Norge (AFINO) is a virtual, crossdisciplinary centre for responsible research and innovation in Norway. The centre connects a number of Norwegian research institutions together in the exploration of how research and innovation can be directed towards solving major societal challenges. The centre aims to increase the foresight competence of researchers, entrepeneurs and everyone involved in technology development. The centre also aims to enhance reflexivity concerning the role and social responsibility of innovators, the ability to include new groups (not least young people) in the innovation process, and to adapt to a more complex research and innovation system. The point of departure is a change in the relationship between the research community, industry and society, from a relatively clear division of labour to interactive models of co-creation across sectors and diciplines.

The position is placed at the Programme for Applied Ethics at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at NTNU Trondheim. The duration of the position is 2 years. The AFINO Trondheim team is responsible for work packages 1 and 2 (WP1 & WP2). WP1 has the responsibility for leading and coordinating the project. WP2 is responsible for developing some experimental initiatives in promoting the collaboration among different stakeholders in developing ideas and initiatives promoting co-creation, knowledge generation and sharing, and innovative foresight practices. These experimental initiatives are called pilots.

The research assistant will work mostly on work package 2 (WP2), but will occasionally also assist the management group (WP1) in the organization of events for the AFINO network.

The research assistant will work closely with Dr Giovanni De Grandis, the project coordinator and leader of WP2. However, s/he reports to the centre director, Associate Professor Siri Granum Carson.

Core responsibilities

The new recruit's main task will be to assist WP2 leader and project coordinator Giovanni De Grandis in furthering the realisation of the pilots. This is a stimulating, creative and challenging task. Developing a pilot is a process that requires many steps and different skills. Roughly the process works through the following sequence: finding partners involved in an innovation project; identifying an activity that would enhance knowledge generation and sharing and/or foresight; agreeing on the purpose, objective, tasks and timeline; finding the resources for realising the initiative; implementing the plan. The process is clearly not so linear, but rather iterative (for instance the idea and the resources available are highly interdependent). It is also, by its nature and ambition, highly collaborative and hence it requires a strong sense of purpose, mutual trust, sense of ownership and clear and timely communication. The process of developing the right idea or concept for the initiative is very creative and requires a very good understanding of the partners’ perspective and values, as well as the reality and constraints in which they work. The suitability of the idea as an AFINO pilot needs a good grasp of the core aspirations of Responsible Research and Innovation, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability. The development of the idea into a feasible plan of action requires team and trust building to ensure the genuine commitment and effective collaboration of all partners. Finally, the implementation requires intense co-ordination and shared leadership, persistence, flexibility and practical problem-solving skills.

As even this brief description suggests, the successful applicant will need to perform many different tasks. Some tasks will be more academic or technical, like getting familiar with some relevant problems, concepts and methods through reading academic papers or policy papers or market research or technical documents. Other tasks will be centred around interpersonal, mediation and communication skills, like being able to listen and to understand different perspectives, helping different partners to find a common language and common ground, mediating between different priorities and expectations. Finally, other tasks will be related with the practicalities of managing the execution of a plan and will involve planning meetings and events, recruiting participants, taking care of the logistics, tackling the challenges coming from delays, uncertainties, people defections etc. Finally, one last group of tasks will deal with analysing the process and results of the pilot to gain as much learning and insights from the experience and communicating them both to an academic audience and to a broader group of interested stakeholders.

Required selection criteria

• A master degree, preferably in business, engineering, or in applied and interdisciplinary fields like Environmental Science, Innovation Management, Sustainability Science, Organization Studies, Town or Regional planning etc.
• Proven knowledge of some of the following topics is required and necessary for the successful performance of the job: Innovation, Responsible Innovation, Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, Science and Technology Policy, Applied Ethics. 
• Having been part of a project involving the collaboration between university and industry or businesses would be a considerable advantage.
• Having been part of a transdisciplinary or trans-sectoral team is desirable.
• A PhD and peer reviewed publications would be a bonus, but are not necessary.

Personal characteristics

• We are looking for a person who can work both independently and in teams, is reliable, punctual and meets deadlines.
• We look for very good communication skills both written and oral, including the ability to translate between different professional communication styles. Fluency in English and Norwegian or another Nordic language are required.
• Ability to understand both academic and business contexts and jargon is highly desirable.
• Ability to be adaptable, think creatively, change plans and cope with uncertainties and failure are very important.

We offer

Salary and conditions

Research assistants are remunerated in code 1018,1019 and 1020 depending on competence. If you have a bachelor's degree, you are normally remunerated at gross from NOK 373 200 - per annum before tax. If you have achieved a master's degree, you are normally renumerated ad gross from NOK 407 900 - per annum before tax. The position is for a period of two years.

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

The position is subject to external funding.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution on a daily basis.

About the application

The application should be written in and sent electronically via Jobbnorge, and should include:

• Diplomas (MA and/or PhD);
• CV;
• Either an MA or a PhD dissertation; either a description of transdisciplinary project in which the candidate has participated or a transdisciplinary publication;
• Two references (preferably one from an academic and one from a private company or public agency).

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

General information

Working at NTNU

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is our strength. We want to recruit people with different competencies, educational backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to solving our social responsibilities within education and research. We will facilitate for our employees’ needs. 

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.

As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted.

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation . You will be notified if the reservation is not accepted. 

For more information about the position, please contact either Associate Professor Siri Granum Carson, tel. +47 92254704, e-mail: [email protected]  or Dr. Giovanni De Grandis, [email protected] . If you have any questions about the appointment process, contact Elisabeth Leite, HR Advisor [email protected] .The project description for AFINO is available upon request. A lot of information about AFINO can be found on the AFINO website: https://www.ntnu.edu/afino

If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation.  

Application deadline: 22.08.2022

NTNU - knowledge for a better world

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.

Department of Language and Literature

We conduct research and teaching in comparative literature, English, French, Spanish, German, Scandinavian studies, linguistics, phonetics, applied linguistics, sign language and interpreting, and cultural history. We are also responsible for the five-year master’s programmes in teacher education (lektorutdanning) in language subjects. The Department has an active research environment with responsibility for several large research projects. The Department of Language and Literature  is one of seven departments in the Faculty of Humanities .

Deadline 22nd August 2022
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Temporary
Place of service