International research led by Northumbria earns top marks and maximum funding

A major international research project led by Northumbria University has secured its latest round of European funding following an exemplary mid-point evaluation.

Global and Entrepreneurial Talent Management 3 (GETM3) is a consortium of eight higher education institutions and eight businesses in five countries exploring why employers across the world struggle to recruit and retain younger generation employees within their workforce. Many young people are educated and entrepreneurial and yet experience instability in their careers. At the same time employers report a skills mismatch and difficulties with managing young talent.

Halfway through the four-year project, the EU Commission’s Research Executive Agency has described GETM3 as exemplary and has awarded the maximum amount of funding possible at this stage of the research. At the end of the project GETM3 is on course to have received around €1 million – funded by the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 and the Korean Research Foundation.

Dr Alison Pearce, Project lead for GETM3 and Associate Professor at Northumbria’s Newcastle Business School, said: “Over the past two years we have held nine international research networking events, worked with people from countries including the USA, Mexico, China, Taiwan, Tanzania and across Europe. Our eight industry partners range from micro start-ups and SMEs, to business development organisations and global manufacturers. This has been focused on how to get the best out of the younger generation and their entrepreneurial energy and drive – a resource many countries are tapping into to help develop their economies.  

“Our performance so far has now been assessed against a raft of measures and I am delighted to report we have received the maximum amount of funding possible at this stage of the project. Northumbria’s Korean partners were also successful in securing further matched funding in December 2018. It is testament to the outstanding contributions made by a large international team and our partner organisations. Over 100 researchers have been involved in the project, which is having a genuine international impact. The GETM3 consortium is now being held up as exemplary across Europe, being invited to advise new project co-ordinators and bid for other funding.”

Under GETM3, researchers, managers and administrators from all Northumbria’s faculties and several professional support services are working closely with academic and research managers from universities in Slovenia, Poland, Ireland and South Korea. Collaborations are also in place with experts and PhD students across the world.

Commenting further on the aims of GETM3, Dr Pearce added: “The younger you are the more global you are likely to be, and young workers the world over have minds of their own. They have to be persuaded rather than told what to do and led rather than managed, which can be very difficult and culturally challenging for many employers. At the same time, the younger generation can have great entrepreneurial attitudes and technological skills extremely useful to economic progress. GETM3 is about fixing this disconnect.”

GETM3 is holding its 10th international research networking event at Northumbria in June 2019. It is working on multiple high-quality publications, impact case studies, several book chapters and two books of its own as well as a specialist ‘Employer Toolkit’ for businesses of all sizes