The AsSIST-UK Executive Committee is delighted to announce that this year’s award goes to Dr Mat Vidmar of the University of Edinburgh.
Mat’s thesis is on Scottish Space Sector and Innovation; A PERIpatetic study of an emerging innovation system and the roles of innovation intermediaries
The Committee commended him for his work noting:
The thesis’ objective was to determine how and where STS and IS can be brought together. It does so through building its conceptual argument over a series of chapters focused around the Scottish space sector. The thesis offers a novel problem-driven strategy for doing this based on the concept of the ‘PERIpatetic Approach’and a multi-level perspective from macro to micro levels, and the role of innovation intermediaries/networks therein. The thesis has led to a number of published papers and a book. The thesis has involved close engagement with those scientists/technologists in the field itself not simply as data sources but as co-producers of some of the ideas and their application not least through the ongoing Social Dimensions of Outer Space Network. The policy impact is very strong at University, regional, and national levels.
Mat also published most of his doctoral work in a series of papers – Dr Matjaz Vidmar at Google Scholar
He also recently published a book: Innovation Intermediaries and (Final) Frontiers of High-tech: Supporting the New Space Sector in Scotland
More information on the AsSIST-UK PhD Prizes can be found here.