PhD Sparking Innovation through Creative Competencies in Collaborative Partnerships with Citizens

Are you interested in how creative practices and competencies foster better collaboration between citizen collectives and local governments? Apply for this PhD position and join the ECCO consortium! Citizen collectives (CCs) are essential actors in shaping transitions, because they innovate new pathways, (bottom-up) approaches, and potential solutions for persistent societal challenges. Creative competences (e.g. empathy, visualisation, idea generation), practices (e.g. co-design, iteration), and attitudes (e.g. reflexivity, open mindset) are indispensable for CCs to develop their ideas towards implementation and adapt along the way, particularly in a configuration with other crucial actors. Likewise, fruitful collaboration with local governments is usually dependent on a few creative civil servants, acting as boundary spanners to bridge the (proverbial) gap between system world and life world. We hypothesise that creative competencies of CCs are responsible for sparking the innovation in the collaborative practices with government agencies and other actors, in ways that may creatively overcome the aforementioned barriers and set off actual transitions. However, which configurations of creative competences play a role in these collaborative partnerships and how these can be strengthened (and maintained) remains underexplored. This hinders CCs and civil servants from unleashing their full potential in shaping inclusive and just societal transitions. The following research question will drive your work: What creative competences do CCs and civil servants need to establish effective collaborations and innovation to spark societal transitions and how can these be strengthened? Your research will identify creative competences-such as empathy, adaptability, visualization, idea generation-essential for citizen collectives and civil servants to collaborate effectively on innovations driving societal transitions. Through systematic literature review, qualitative case studies, and research-through-design approaches, you will develop the "Creative Competences Roadmap" (CCR)-a practical tool helping citizen collectives and civil servants identify, self-monitor, and develop creative capabilities. This setting offers an exceptional opportunity to pursue your PhD as part of a groundbreaking research initiative that bridges academia and society. ECCO investigates how citizen collectives-grassroots organisations formed by citizens working together on shared goals-can become powerful drivers of societal change in areas like housing, work, income, and sustainability. This position is perfect for candidates with backgrounds and strong interest in design, innovation studies, or social entrepreneurship who want to bridge creative practices with governance transformation. A Master's degree in a relevant field such as innovation studies, design research, public administration, sustainability transitions, sociology, or a related discipline. Being an enthusiastic team player who enjoys working in multidisciplinary settings and can actively contribute to the ECCO consortium, engaging with researchers, citizen collectives, and governmental stakeholders. Proven experience in working with residents and/or civil servants is an asset. Proven experience with qualitative research skills (e.g., interviews, case studies, participatory methods) and/or design research skills (e.g., Proven strong written and verbal communication abilities, enabling you to engage effectively with diverse audiences, facilitate workshops, and present research outcomes to both academic and non-academic partners. Proficiency in the written and spoken use of the English and Dutch language. TU Delft (Delft University of Technology) Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context. At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. Your application will receive fair consideration. The Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment has a leading role in education and research worldwide. The driving force behind the faculty's success is its robust research profile combined with the energy and creativity of its student body and academic community. It is buzzing with energy from early in the morning until late at night, with four thousand people studying, working, designing, conducting research and acquiring and disseminating knowledge. Our faculty has a strong focus on 'design-oriented research', which has given it a top position in world rankings. Staff and students are working to improve the built environment with the help of a broad set of disciplines, including architectural design, urban planning, building technology, social sciences, process management, and geo-information science. The faculty works closely with other faculties, universities, private parties, and the public sector, and has an extensive network in the Netherlands as well as internationally. Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met. Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from €3059 - €3881 gross per month, from the first year to the fourth year based on a fulltime contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills. The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service , offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands. For more information about the application procedure, please contact Stephanie Ip, HR Advisor, e-mail: helps the matching process within the ECCO project. For all ECCO PhD positions, check the landing page. Application procedure Please apply no later than 15 February 2026 (local Dutch time + 2 hrs) via the application button and upload the following documents: Proof of writing (e.g. a blog post, student paper, magazine article). Graduate transcript. The names of two references, with contact information (letters not required at this stage). Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements . You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post. As part of knowledge security, TU Delft conducts a risk assessment during the recruitment of personnel. We do this, among other things, to prevent the unwanted transfer of sensitive knowledge and technology. The assessment is based on information provided by the candidates themselves, such as their motivation letter and CV, and takes place at the final stages of the selection process. The processing of personal data in the context of the risk assessment is carried out on the legal basis of the GDPR: performing a public task in the public interest.