Team members from the KIN Center for Digital Innovation, IND, and I-Partnerschap gathered to welcome external PhD candidate René Grasmeijer as he became an integral part of the 'IT Renewal at the IND' project.
Back in December, we celebrated the official onboarding of Grasmeijer, who joined the collaborative project between the KIN Center for Digital Innovation, Utrecht University's AI Lab for Public Services, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND). and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND). This partnership is facilitated by I-Partnerschap, a Dutch government entity dedicated to fostering collaboration between government agencies and higher education institutions on digitization-related themes. Grasmeijer's arrival was celebrated together with Flora van den Berg-Janssen from IND, Bart van den Hooff from KIN Center for Digital Innovation and Sanela Hujdur from I-Partnerschap.
The collaboration is centered around a groundbreaking project focusing on the renewal of the IT and process landscape of the IND. The IND maintains a commitment to preserving a harmonious balance between foundational structures and innovation, which involves ensuring consistent alignment between business and IT during the transition process. The project, under the supervision of Professor of Organizational Communication and Information Systems Bart van den Hooff, promises to advance our understanding of the challenges encountered in such renewal initiatives and how to address them.
In line with I-Partnerschap’s ‘’Rijks I-Doctoraat’’ program, Grasmeijer combines his PhD project with an advisory position within the IND. Over the next six years, Grasmeijer will investigate the change process associated with the renewal of large-scale ICT systems, with the IND as the context. He explains: “A renewal of the IT landscape affects all departments of an organization. It is a change process, so resistance is part of it. Communication is then very important; to get everyone on the same page. Crucial to success is that IT and the business remain aligned throughout the entire process. This is especially challenging for changes that require a lot of time, similar to replacing the engine of an airplane while it is still flying. That is the second aspect of my research: where is the balance in a process where existing functionality is replaced and new functionality is added? In other words: managing the paradox in organizations that need to remove their technological foundation while simultaneously building on the practices that depend on it, in order to implement a new technological foundation. I'm lucky to have support from the KIN Center for Digital Innovation and AI Lab for Public Services, where I get to chat with fellow PhD candidates from various government departments, which is really helpful.“
The interest in a dual PhD candidate (combining an academic career with industry work) was sparked during a presentation of I-Partnership vision to the IND management. Arlette Wegman, regional manager from I-Partnership, explains: “In a conversation regarding I-Partnership, I sparked interest in a dual PhD candidate within the management team of the IND Information Services Directorate. Consequently, I contacted Professor Bart van den Hooff and we were invited by the IND to provide an interactive workshop during a strategy session, which formed a valuable basis for developing a partnership.” From that moment on, the implementation of a dual PhD position program began.
Sixty percent of Grasmeijer's time is dedicated to research, thirty percent to providing advice within the IND, and the remaining ten percent to educational tasks at both the IND and Vrije Universiteit. The partnership between the KIN Center for Digital Innovation, AI Lab for Public Services, IND, and the I-Partnerschap creates a unique synergy between research and organizations in practice and facilitates knowledge transfer from academia to industry.
