“PhD for Innovation – Interdisciplinary course from systems thinking through creative problem-solving to R&D management” is a rather new PhD course at the University of Bergen. The course equips PhD candidates with problem solving methods that facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration with a strong focus on research impact. This is achieved by working concretely with challenge-driven innovation related to sustainable development goals (SDGs), in teams consisting of PhD candidates with varied disciplinary backgrounds.
The course directly answers to a series of strategic initiatives and calls at the University of Bergen, such as SDG in higher education and action plan for ph.d.- education. By merging methods from fields such as system dynamics and innovation methods and by working directly with societal actors outside the university, the course represents a novel and effective approach to fostering creative problem solving abilities that goes beyond already existing courses at UiB and in Norway at large.