“To know that we know what we know and to know that we do not know what we do not know is true knowledge.”— Nicolaus Copernicus
​Small and medium-sized enterprises operate in an environment that is changing rapidly. New technologies, digital systems and data-driven tools continuously reshape how work is organised. While these developments create opportunities, they also generate uncertainty. Knowledge that was once reliable can quickly become outdated, and new knowledge often feels complex, abstract or risky.
For many SMEs, learning is deeply embedded in daily practice. Knowledge is built through experience, routines and informal collaboration, rather than through formal systems or documentation. This makes organisations flexible and pragmatic, yet also vulnerable when existing ways of working no longer fit new technological demands. Limited time, resources and room for experimentation further increase hesitation to adopt unfamiliar ideas.
At the same time, governments increasingly expect Universities of Applied Sciences to support SMEs in navigating these changes. Through student projects, living labs and other practice-based collaborations, UAS and SMEs meet in so-called innovation spaces. These environments are meant to support experimentation and shared learning. In practice, however, they also introduce new uncertainties about skills, roles and the value of different forms of knowledge.
A central challenge lies in how organisations decide what knowledge to trust and use. New ideas often conflict with existing beliefs, routines and economic priorities. When uncertainty is high, organisations tend to postpone learning or stick to what feels safe. This leads to knowledge inertia: knowing that change is needed, but struggling to act.
This research starts from the assumption that learning under uncertainty is not only a technical or managerial issue, but also an epistemic one. It asks how people and organisations make sense of knowledge, how beliefs are formed or revised, and how learning becomes possible when outcomes are not yet clear. By focusing on these processes, the study seeks to better understand how SMEs and educational institutions can jointly strengthen their capacity to learn and adapt in a constantly changing environment.
This PhD thesis is also available via the University of Twente repository.
Background
The accelerating pace of technological innovation presents both unprecedented opportunities and significant challenges. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of universities of applied sciences (UAS) in enhancing the knowledge transfer and absorption capacities of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) amid epistemic uncertainty driven by rapid technological disruptions and information overload. SMEs, forming the backbone of the Dutch economy, often struggle with structural limitations in exploring, experimenting with, and assimilating new knowledge representations required by evolving paradigms such as Industry 4.0 and 5.0.
UAS-SME interactions through an epistemological lens
Collaborative programs between UAS and SMEs create experimental innovation spaces aimed at co-creating practical solutions while simultaneously equipping students with dynamic skills to navigate complex, uncertain environments.
However, introducing new modes of knowledge production amplifies uncertainties regarding future skills and knowledge functionalities, challenging both organizational resilience and vocational education systems. By examining diverse UAS-SME interactions through an epistemological lens, this research uncovers how epistemic tensions shape knowledge processes, thereby enabling SMEs and UAS to foster joint dynamic capabilities for technologically and epistemically dynamic contexts.
Theoretical background
The theoretical background of this study draws on epistemological perspectives to examine knowledge transfer and absorption dynamics in the specific context of UAS collaborating with SMEs through student-mediated innovation spaces. Central to this research is the development of epistemic models that are continually refined through empirical observation and data-driven comparisons. These models serve not only as analytical tools but also as frameworks for enhancing awareness, engagement, and learning at both organizational and individual levels. The overarching goal is to support SMEs and UAS in recognizing, valuing, and assimilating external knowledge, thereby building necessary dynamic capabilities amid technological and epistemic changes.
Research design
This study employs a sequential exploratory mixed-methods research (MMR) design, integrating quantitative and qualitative data across multiple phases to gain a comprehensive understanding of knowledge transfer dynamics in student-mediated UAS-SME collaborations. Positioned within a post-positivist paradigm that incorporates how interactions in real-world innovation spaces shape knowledge adaptation, the MMR was chosen for its ability to combine researcher observation with participant co-creation, while acknowledging the influence of novice student learners interacting with experienced SME practitioners. The design prioritized exploratory triangulation over explanatory causation, using descriptive quantitative analysis to complement in-depth qualitative insights from field observations and interviews. This parallel, iterative integration facilitated identification of convergence and divergence, giving a richer, contextualized picture of epistemic tensions and pragmatic knowledge trajectories in applied innovation ecosystems.
Findings and value
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The findings show that knowledge transfer in student-mediated UAS-SME collaborations are shaped by epistemic tensions between pragmatic, operationally embedded trajectories and desired pathways toward higher abstraction and structural integration. These patterns underscore the distinctive practice-oriented nature of UAS-SME ecosystems, which complement the dynamics of research university collaborations with larger firms, and indicate that maximizing effective transfer requires aligning innovation space methods with contextual constraints and exploratory goals.
Innovative value
This study introduces an epistemological lens to analyze knowledge transfer dynamics, extending beyond traditional absorptive capacity models. By focusing on student mediation as the primary mechanism, it bridges the literatures on education, innovation, and epistemology.
Scientific value
This study advances dynamic modal epistemology (DEL) as a framework for knowledge transfer in UAS-SME collaborations, extending beyond traditional absorptive capacity models focused on acquiring and exploiting existing knowledge. The research uses modal semantics to research set-theoretic variance across actor ensembles and shows how unawareness of negative introspections (e.g., necessarily false beliefs) create more rigid trajectories in knowledge absorption.
Value for practice
For SMEs, recognizing locked-in negative beliefs encourages the introduction of variance (e.g., diverse teams, cross-firm networks, student inputs), creating new knowledge functionalities that improve responsiveness to information flows without disrupting existing routines. UAS practitioners can apply this pedagogically by designing projects that challenge modal rigidities through heterogeneous epistemic environments (e.g., living labs or solution experiments), enabling students to revise beliefs through experience in open collaboration and mutual learning with SMEs.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements I am delighted to have completed my journey toward the doctorate and am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to undertake this endeavor. I owe this journey and its completion to the inspiration, encouragement, and support of so many others. It is truly so that I have seen further, by standing on the shoulders of giants. This achievement is possible only because of the generous contributions of those who have guided and inspired me along the way.
My deepest and most sincere gratitude goes to my supervisor and promotor, Professor Tanya Bondarouk. I thank her for her unwavering trust, sincerity, and continuous support. Professor Bondarouk has the skill and wisdom that gave me both intellectual freedom and thoughtful directions, creating a safe environment in which my relative inexperience was never a barrier but an invitation to learn and grow. I wish every PhD candidate had such an exceptional promotor.
I also extend my warm thanks to my copromotors, Jeroen Meijerink and Paul Rutten, for their valuable guidance and encouragement. I am so grateful to Mathieu Weggeman, who supervised me in the early stages of the project. He is a distinguished and highly respected professor whose vast knowledge was matched only by his selfless mentorship and genuine commitment to helping me go forward.
My sincere and deep thanks to my colleagues who supported me. Especially Klara Paardenkooper and Ron van Duin, but so many others who inspired and assisted me, far too numerous to mention individually. I am equally thankful to the many students who participated in the research. I wish to express my appreciation to Bert Hooijer, who engaged me for research activities in the Roadmap Education and Labor Market and the Next Education programs.
My sincere thanks go to all the companies and their employees for generously giving their time, participating in meetings and interviews, and welcoming me into their organizations. Furthermore, I thank the HR managers who kindly opened their doors and shared their insights and precious time during interviews and discussions.
On a personal note, I thank my wife Brenda for her endless patience and motivation, and my daughter Billie, for the many weekends and holidays I had to “exchange” for this PhD. Your understanding has made it all worthwhile. Finally, an honorable mention goes to our cat Bob, who, in his own quiet way, was a wise and constant companion from his favorite spot on my desk. To all of you, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
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