Search Results (240)

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reports are increasingly important for maritime ports and large service and industrial companies, as they measure sustainability, social responsibility, and integration with society. This study aims to strengthen collaboration between port administrations and academia by identifying differences between industry needs and academic focus. The research analyzes ESG indicators from sustainability reports of 23 port administrations and keywords from 34 SCOPUS publications (2020–2025). Indicators and keywords were grouped into ESG dimensions and thematic clusters, generating two criteria: the number of indicators used by ports and the number of keywords in academic research. Two multicriteria decision analysis methods, Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE), were applied to rank and compare topics across clusters and criteria. Results show similarities in rankings but also reveal differences in priorities between ports and academia, highlighting the need for stronger collaboration and common ESG indicators. Key priorities identified include data and innovation, ranked 1st and 2nd in the governance pillar, employment and job benefits, ranked 1st in the social pillar, and energy efficiency and management, ranked 1st in the environmental pillar. Differences in some environmental and social topics suggest further efforts are needed to align academic research with port administration priorities. Full article

This scientometric and bibliometric study analyzes global research trends on polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)-producing microorganisms and their applications in bio-based packaging between 2014 and 2025. Using the Scopus database and advanced tools such as Bibliometrix in RStudio and VOSviewer, scientific output and international collaboration networks were evaluated. The results demonstrate exponential growth in publications, driven by the urgent need to mitigate the petrochemical plastics crisis and develop biodegradable alternatives within the circular economy. Multidisciplinary analysis reveals a thematic shift from basic physiological and taxonomic studies towards complex applications in metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, the optimization of low-cost substrates such as industrial effluents, multi-omics tools, gene editing with CRISPR-Cas9, and, as an emerging exploratory approach, quantum modeling to optimize cell performance. Despite significant progress, critical technological gaps were identified related to challenges in downstream processing, the management of mixed microbial communities, and insufficient funding for the characterization of physicochemical and biocompatibility properties. It is concluded that, to ensure the commercial scalability and sustainability of PHAs, future research must prioritize overcoming these economic and technological bottlenecks, fostering strategic collaboration between academia and the biotechnology industry. Full article

Purpose: This study examines the preparedness of the Ghanaian construction workforce for Industry 5.0 by assessing digital readiness, identifying skill gaps, and proposing human-centred upskilling strategies. Design/Methodology/Approach: A qualitative approach was adopted, using six focus group discussions with 32 construction professionals from Accra and Kumasi. Participants were selected using purposive and snowball sampling, while data were analysed thematically. Findings: Four major themes emerged: digital readiness, skill gaps, upskilling strategies, and human–machine collaboration. The findings showed that digital readiness was uneven across roles, with design and managerial professionals demonstrating higher exposure to digital tools than site-based workers and supervisors. Six key barriers were identified: limited BIM competence, low digital literacy, poor technological infrastructure, weak organisational support, inadequate structured training, and resistance to technological change. Three upskilling priorities were also identified: role-specific digital training, continuous professional development, and inclusive training models. Originality: The study provides empirical evidence on Industry 5.0 workforce readiness within a developing-country construction context. Practical Implications: The findings support stronger CPD systems, inclusive training programmes, and collaboration among industry, government, academia, and professional bodies. Research Limitations: The study was limited to 32 professionals in Accra and Kumasi; therefore, the findings are context-specific. Full article

The rapid digitalization of transportation systems has expanded the cyberattack surface of critical infrastructure while exposing significant shortages in transportation-specific cybersecurity workforce capacity. Existing workforce studies rarely integrate transportation-sector workforce development, organizational preparedness, operational technology (OT) challenges, and interdisciplinary collaboration within a unified analytical framework. In response to this gap, this study employs a mixed-methods approach that integrates Term Frequency–Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF) text analysis of publicly available workforce development documents, qualitative interviews with academics, policymakers, and transportation cybersecurity professionals, and organizational survey analysis to examine workforce development challenges across transportation subsectors. The findings reveal persistent information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) competency gaps, curriculum–industry misalignment, organizational staffing shortages, disparities in cybersecurity preparedness, and the critical importance of experiential learning and dedicated cybersecurity staffing. The study further emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary education, organizational capacity building, and sustained collaboration among academia, government, and industry to strengthen the transportation cybersecurity workforce’s readiness and resilience. Collectively, the findings position transportation cybersecurity workforce development as a systems-coordination challenge that requires long-term strategic investment, cross-sector collaboration, and workforce innovation to enhance the security, resilience, and operational continuity of transportation systems. Full article

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are bio-based, biodegradable polyesters increasingly explored as sustainable biomaterials for regenerative medicine. This review summarizes recent advances in PHA-based bone substitute materials, highlighting their properties, fabrication methods, and biological performance. PHAs combine biocompatibility, tunable mechanical behavior, and degradation into non-toxic metabolites, while copolymerization and monomer selection modulate the stiffness, crystallinity, and resorption rate. Processing techniques such as solvent casting, electrospinning, and additive manufacturing allow the production of porous architectures that mimic bone extracellular matrix. Electrospinning is particularly suitable for nanoscale fibrous matrices, whereas 3D printing enables patient-specific scaffolds with controlled geometry and interconnected porosity. Scaffold performance can be further improved through the incorporation of osteoconductive fillers, including hydroxyapatite, β-tricalcium phosphate, bioactive glasses, graphene oxide, and carbon nanotubes, as well as through drug-delivery and pro-angiogenic functionalization. In vitro and in vivo studies consistently report favorable cytocompatibility, enhanced osteogenic differentiation, vascularization, and effective repair of bone defects in animal models. However, clinical translation remains limited by production costs, variability in polymer quality, thermal processing constraints, and regulatory challenges. Future progress will rely on more efficient biosynthesis, medical-grade purification, multifunctional scaffold design, and stronger collaboration between academia, industry, and clinicians to unlock the full potential of PHAs in regenerative bone therapies. Full article

Food waste remains a persistent sustainability challenge within independent restaurants, where operational pressures, cultural norms, and resource constraints limit systematic waste management. This study examines how an industry–academia partnership enabled the co-creation of food-waste reduction practices between hospitality students and sixteen independent restaurant operators in Wellington, New Zealand. Adopting the Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach, data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with operators and focus group discussions with hospitality students. Findings reveal that food wastage in the study units is shaped by time pressure, customer service expectations, tacit kitchen routines, and uncertainty in forecasting the demand. The study identifies three mechanisms—emotional disruption, shared reflection and experimentation—through which sustainability competencies become a part in professional identity. It offers theoretical grounded and practically actionable insights for industry–academia collaboration in resource-constrained hospitality environments. Full article

Aligning industrial technological demands with academic expertise is critical for effective technology transfer. However, existing Expert Recommendation Systems (ERS) are frequently hindered by a “semantic gap” arising from terminological discrepancies between industry and academia, alongside a reliance on rigid classification taxonomies. To address these limitations, this paper proposes an automated expert finding framework that integrates Large Language Models (LLMs) with a hierarchical Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) mechanism. Initially, we employ LLMs for the unsupervised extraction of research domains and technical keywords from heterogeneous multi-source data. To mitigate terminological diversity, we introduce a vector clustering-based Semantic Normalization module. By mapping diverse keyword variants into unified “Concept Clusters,” this module reduces vocabulary sparsity by 98%. These organized clusters are structured into a “Semantic Tree” to support a hierarchical RAG strategy, enabling a coarse-to-fine retrieval process from broad disciplinary domains down to specific technical achievements. In this paper, RAG refers to a retrieval-augmented expert recommendation workflow, in which the retrieved achievements and expert evidence are used as grounded context for generating an explanatory recommendation report. Evaluations on a real-world dataset show that the framework achieves a Precision@5 of 78.4% and a Recall@10 of 81.2%, outperforming flat vector retrieval baselines by over 20% in precision. Furthermore, hierarchical domain pruning significantly reduces computational overhead, decreasing average query latency by a factor of three (to 115.8 ms). These results demonstrate that the proposed system effectively bridges the industry–academia semantic gap, providing a scalable and accurate solution for expert recommendation. Full article

Artificial intelligence(AI) has become an important driver accelerating the cultivation of new productive forces; it is also a key means of comprehensively reducing pollution and carbon emissions. In this study, data from 1413 listed manufacturing companies in China between 2010 and 2023 are used to construct an indicator system. The findings reveal that, despite a notable geographical imbalance, the Chinese manufacturing industry is seeing an increase in AI development. The reduction in pollutants and carbon emissions is greatly aided by AI and achieved through three pathways: enhancing management efficiency, stimulating innovation vitality, and increasing green investment capacity. Based on these findings, the government should increase support for AI technology research and development and formulate differentiated regional policies, and companies should focus on applying AI technology and promote collaboration between the industry, academia, and research institutions. Full article

Hilly and mountainous regions are strategically vital for national food security. However, due to complex topographical constraints, their agricultural mechanization levels remain severely underdeveloped. This creates a critical bottleneck in agricultural modernization. Conventional agricultural machinery faces multifaceted challenges in terrain adaptability, operational efficiency, and safety assurance when deployed in these environments, necessitating the urgent development of specialized chassis with enhanced trafficability and stability. Following a systematic literature review of key technologies, including power transmission systems, traveling and support mechanisms, leveling control, and navigation tracking, this study reveals that current chassis technology is advancing toward intelligentization, enhanced efficiency, environmental sustainability, and improved terrain adaptability. The analysis demonstrates that multiple technological pathways, encompassing mechanical, hydraulic, and electric drives, are exhibiting convergent and complementary trends. Future research and development should prioritize the following areas: integrated intelligent coordinated control architectures, green and sustainable power system innovation, modular and reconfigurable platform design, and the establishment of collaborative frameworks among industry, academia, research institutions, and application sectors. Comprehensive standardization systems are also needed. These strategic directions are essential for comprehensively elevating agricultural mechanization levels and maximizing developmental benefits in hilly and mountainous regions. Full article

Tourism education is central to human capital development under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, yet the extent to which curricula align with emerging industry requirements remains underexplored, particularly in developing economy contexts. This qualitative study examines student and faculty perspectives on curriculum alignment at the University of Ha’il’s Tourism and Antiquities Department. Twenty participants were purposively recruited and interviewed; data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings reveal four interconnected challenges: a persistent theory–practice gap sustained by lecture-based pedagogies, insufficient integration of digital and smart tourism technologies, weak industry–academia partnerships, and structural barriers to interdisciplinary collaboration. In response, this study proposes an interdisciplinary integration model structured around five domains: digital technology, sustainability and environment, business and entrepreneurship, cultural and creative industries, and social sciences and community engagement. The model provides a progressive framework for cross-departmental collaboration and represents the study’s primary practical contribution. Theoretically, the study demonstrates that curriculum misalignment operates through mutually reinforcing institutional constraints rather than discrete correctable deficits. Recommendations address curriculum reform, technology investment, structured partnership development, and administrative conditions enabling interdisciplinary implementation. Full article

The transition toward Industry 5.0 in sustainable construction demands a radical reconceptualisation of workforce development, moving beyond purely technical training to embrace human-centricity, digitalisation, green competencies, and socio-cognitive resilience. Traditional vocational and higher education systems have largely failed to bridge the gap between emerging construction industry demands and the competencies possessed by current and future professionals. This systematic review investigates how Learning Factories’ 5.0 immersive, experiential, and technology-rich educational environments can address these gaps in sustainable construction contexts. Drawing on a synthesis of 71 peer-reviewed publications spanning 2015–2026 and supplemented by targeted construction-domain literature, this study pursues three objectives: (1) identifying core competencies for Industry 5.0 readiness in sustainable construction, (2) examining how Learning Factories 5.0 support the development of these competencies, and (3) proposing a competency-driven framework for integrating Learning Factories 5.0 into sustainable construction education and training. Seven transdisciplinary competency clusters are identified—Attitude toward Digitalisation, Technical–Green Proficiency, Information and Data Literacy, Digital Security, Collaborative Systems Thinking, Adaptive Problem-Solving, and Reflective Sustainability Practice—and a theoretically derived, eight-phase Construction Learning Factory 5.0 (CLF5.0) Framework is proposed as a conceptual architecture for future empirical development and institutional adaptation. The framework is presented as a generative starting point rather than a prescriptive model, and its effectiveness in diverse construction education contexts requires empirical validation through future implementation studies. Findings reveal that while Learning Factories offer transformative potential, critical barriers remain in terms of economic feasibility, faculty development, industry–academia alignment, and empirical validation. This paper contributes a construction-specific competency architecture and implementation pathway to support the industry’s transition toward a sustainable, human-centric, and Industry 5.0-aligned future. Full article

This study provides a mapping of the current state of electromobility education in Mexico, aiming to identify gaps and opportunities in developing specialized talent for the energy transition and sustainable mobility. A scoping review was conducted using a structured methodological framework, involving searches across official platforms, academic institutions, and government sources, with specific criteria to select programs related to electric vehicle technology and sustainable transport. The results reveal a concentration of programs in the northern and central industrial regions, while southern and southeastern areas remain underrepresented, creating territorial disparities. Additionally, specialized programs were identified, alongside gaps in emerging areas such as battery recycling, renewable energy integration, and policy and regulatory training. The review highlights that, although Mexico has a substantial workforce, there are significant deficiencies in advanced, innovation-oriented training, limiting the country’s participation in more specialized segments of global EV value chains. It is concluded that strengthening academia–industry collaboration, expanding curricula in strategic domains, and investing in postgraduate education and research are essential steps to support a more inclusive and sustainable electromobility transition. Full article

Living Labs offer immersive learning in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), yet their core nature and value for competency development remain underexplored, particularly from the perspective of lab leaders. To address the knowledge gap, this study examines the perspectives of lab leaders on the potential of living labs as dynamic learning settings. Specifically, it explores two dimensions: (1) how living labs structure learning processes, and (2) the influence of collaboration with societal partners on learning outcomes, framed by the Quadruple Helix Model (academia, industry, government, and community). The study adopts a qualitative research design via semi-structured interviews with seven laboratory leaders across five well-established living labs in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences. Interview transcripts were analyzed using Julius.ai and in vivo coding to identify and categorize themes. The respondents highlighted that in their experience, combining physical and digital settings often facilitates experiential, reflective, and innovative learning while equipping students with practical skills and competencies that improve their employability. Furthermore, the respondents reported that engagement with stakeholders fosters co-creation and well-rounded innovation. These collaborations also help ensure that the living labs can effectively sustain their operation, offering students the opportunities to engage in globally relevant issues such as digital transformation. Nonetheless, obstacles include resource limitations, maintaining enduring teamwork, and adjusting to rapid technological changes. The paper concludes that living labs serve as supplementary instruments and their adoption can help match academic learning curricula and practices with industry needs, while also enhancing student learning in preparation for the world of work. Full article

This study presents one of the first empirical assessments of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) adoption within architectural academia and the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry in Saudi Arabia. Using a cross-sectional survey of 113 respondents—60 academics and 53 industry professionals—the research examines familiarity, current usage, perceived benefits, challenges, and future readiness for AI/ML integration. Results show high familiarity and strong perceived importance across both sectors, yet actual implementation remains uneven. Very large firms demonstrate the highest adoption capacity, while small and medium-sized firms face financial and organizational constraints. Academic institutions exhibit moderate familiarity but limited curricular and research integration due to faculty expertise gaps, restricted access to tools, and traditional pedagogical structures. Despite these barriers, both sectors consistently identify AI/ML as critical for enhancing creativity, efficiency, and industry preparedness. The study highlights organizational capacity as the primary determinant of adoption. It concludes with recommendations for curriculum reform, faculty training, industry–academia collaboration, and national policy frameworks to accelerate digital transformation aligned with Saudi Vision 2030. This research establishes a foundational baseline for future longitudinal and comparative studies on AI/ML integration in the regional architectural ecosystem. Full article

The sustainable management of waste is a significant problem facing humanity, especially in regions with low recycling rates and a lack of infrastructure. For example, Romania has a recycling rate of only 12%, a long way from meeting the European Union’s target of 42%. This article proposes a framework for sustainable waste management, called CETHTB-Chain, by combining the circular economy, Triple Helix Twins collaboration, and blockchain technology. To test the viability of this framework, a Monte Carlo simulation with 10,000 iterations and system dynamics modelling with a 10-year simulation period was conducted. The Monte Carlo simulation revealed that CETHTB-Chain can improve recycling rates by a mean of 45.6% (95% CI, 38.6–52.6%), material recovery rates by 62.7% (95% CI, 54.4–70.0%), cost savings by 18.53 euros per ton, and CO₂ reduction by 629 kg per ton of waste. System dynamics modelling revealed that CETHTB-Chain is feasible for implementation, following S-curve growth, with recycling rates of 38.6% in 7–10 years. Sensitivity analysis revealed that blockchain technology adoption (ρ = 0.612) and citizen participation (ρ = 0.379) were key drivers of CETHTB-Chain performance. By combining Monte Carlo simulation and system dynamics modelling, this article has shown CETHTB-Chain to be a statistically significant and temporally feasible blueprint for transitioning from a linear economy to a circular economy in waste management. By engaging academia, industry, and government in a collaborative relationship facilitated by blockchain technology, CETHTB-Chain has provided valuable evidence for strategic planning in waste management in the European Union. Full article