SISSA back to the future
SISSA is currently brainstorming its new strategic plan outlining the path for the years ahead. The governors set up a discussion forum for the community to post suggestions and debate new ideas. Both giant leaps and small steps are equally welcome.
The discussion has been organized into 5 areas: research, training, innovation (i.e. technology transfer and entrepreneurship), admin services, infrastructures.
We have been offered the opportunity to give our inputs and suggestions, having had the chance to compare SISSA with other working environments, both inside and outside academia, and to contribute to further develop our former school.
On behalf of the board I warmly invite all of you to submit any input or critique or insight that you could share before August 20, 2020.
The board of the Alumni Society will summarize all the inputs that we will receive in a way to make all of them anonymous, and post a summary on behalf of the alumni community in the forum.
To help kickstart your ideas we drafted some questions that we feel can be a good starting point for the first three topics. We feel that our contribution, having lived for a (long or short) period in the wild, should be focused at identifying and showcasing great best-in-class examples, and we draft our questions accordingly.
RESEARCH
- Which are the most important funding tools available? What is important to exploit them? Is there any institution that has been great in attracting funds? How?
- Which are the research lines that are going to attract top students and scholars in the next five years? Why?
- Which are the essential tools that SISSA should invest in, for the next five years? Why?
- Which are the research centre and research groups that are today’s “places to be”? Why? What SISSA could learn from them?
- Can Alumni help in increasing the success of SISSA research groups? How?
TRAINING
- What are the defining factors of a talent garden? What should a grad school look at? What should a master program look at?
- How can an academic institution create an environment that encourages students to solve problems, does not blame failures but learn from them, and welcomes diversity?
- Which is the most successful model of graduate (PhD or master) education that you could name? Why?
- How much is diversity in classes important to foster a learning environment? What should an academic institution do to promote its programs in universities around the world? Can Alumni help?
- How can masters offered by SISSA improved to increase their perceived value on the job market in Italy and abroad?
- What is important that trainees know about pursuing a non-academic job? What should an academic institution do for sharing this knowledge? Is there any program that was particularly successful? How?
INNOVATION (I.E. TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP)
- Should an academic institution actively seek grants from industry? Why? Is there any successful example of joint research initiative that you could name? Which elements were pivotal in determining their success? Can SISSA replicate them?
- Should an academic institution train its staff and students in seeking opportunities to transform an original idea into a marketable product/service? How?
- Is there any particular program that was particularly successful in foster technology transfer from academia to industry?