Enterprising research skills: academia's changing role

In the UK and elsewhere, the traditional way of developing future researchers through research degrees is under scrutiny with pressure on institutions to look beyond the needs of academia and to cater more fully for those of the working professional. For future sustainability of academia, a balance needs to be struck between training the next generation of academics and providing additional choices for professionals seeking to carry out research outside academia. In this paper, we analyse the challenges raised with reference to our experience of supporting IT professionals enrolled on part-time research degrees, contextualised in current and emergent enterprise and national practices, and with cognisance of the need for academia to continue. We also propose a model of supervision we have refined over the years, in the hope that our experience can be of benefit to other academics who find themselves facing similar challenges.