On Thursday, 29 May 2025, Darija Korkut successfully defended her doctoral thesis entitled “Multidimensional Research of Academic Exchange and Creativity in the EU”.
The defence committee consisted of Prof. Dr. Borut Rončević and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Leo Mršić.
The doctoral thesis was prepared under the mentorship of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Robert Kopal.
Abstract of the doctoral thesis:
Creativity and innovation have been recognized and promoted by global economic institutions and actors as key skills for the future that will help individuals adapt to the rapid changes caused by technological advances. Research shows that employees with developed creative thinking, innovation, and problem-solving skills are and will remain the most valued on the labor market. At the same time, creativity and innovation have become key components of teaching methodology and educational programs at all levels. An extensive body of research has been carried out in the area of creativity and innovation in national education systems around the world, with two aspects being considered: the first relates to a creative and innovative approach to teaching, and the second to a methodological approach that encourages the development of creativity and innovation in students. The third direction of creativity and innovation research is the influence of creativity and innovation on the progress of the country’s economic growth, competitiveness and prosperity.
The main objective of the research in this dissertation is to examine whether creativity and innovation in international academic exchange contribute to the economic and social value of the country. The research aims to understand the life of an academic exchange network, and its influence on a receiving and sending country’s creativity measured by innovation indices. We investigate correlations and possible causalities using a multidimensional study of academic exchange and innovation. For this purpose, the positions of countries and academic institutions in academic exchanges are determined with the help of social network analysis, and evidence of correlation with the economic and social value of the country’s economy is obtained through regression analysis.
This research contributes new quantitative evidence supporting the hypothesis that innovation thrives due to the diversity of academic exchange, using SNA, statistics, and econometrics. Until now, the combination of creativity (expressed through innovation), education (through academic exchange), and network analysis (through SNA) has not been thoroughly examined in scientific literature. This study aimed to address this gap by conducting a multidimensional analysis of academic exchange and creativity/innovation, assessing their effects on the innovation performance of EU member states.
