Falling public trust in research is making academic careers less appealing to the brightest candidates, it has been warned, with universities urged to do more to address the issue by emphasising their social value. 

Speaking at the Times Higher Education Europe Universities Summit in Milan, Tanja Storsul, pro rector for research and development at Oslo Metropolitan University, said researchers and institutions need to focus on the quality of their work to rebuild public trust in academia.

“We need to communicate this and be in touch with society around us to show the impact of research and higher education,” she said. “We have an obligation to connect with society around us and to make sure they benefit from what we do.”

Storsul added that her university has established a satellite campus to bring the institution closer to communities that might not see higher education as a realistic option. “It makes us more accessible to the general public,” she said, stressing that the goal was to convey that a career in research was open to everyone. 

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Another issue Storsul highlighted was the higher salaries offered by companies compared with academia, which can make it harder for potential students to see the value in pursuing a PhD.

“We can’t compete with salaries these firms will offer, so we need to offer something else,” she said. 

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Simon Marti, the head of the European University Association Council for Doctoral Education, said a survey conducted by the group found that institutions struggle with funding for doctoral programmes and also finding qualified doctoral candidates. 

“When it comes to finding strong doctoral candidates, we see at the same time that more doctoral candidates are coming from abroad, from outside Europe,” he said. “It brings new perspectives, but also new challenges in the sense of accommodating new candidates because they don’t only start a new programme, but also they’re coming to a new environment, so they need to be supported and made to feel welcome.”

He also stressed that the largest proportion of doctoral candidates are leaving academia as they’re entering into careers in the private and public sector, as well as non-profits.

Marcin Kalinowski, president of the Research Federation of WSB-DSW Merito Universities, echoed similar concerns. 

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“Young people ask, why should we choose a path in research, what are the opportunities? We want to make money in business instead of choosing a long path with uncertainty,” he said. 

Kalinowski also called for a rethink of how doctoral candidates are mentored, arguing that support should come from a network of people rather than a single supervisor. “Researchers are often alone in doing research and young people are afraid of this.”

seher.asaf@timeshighereducation.com