“As I understand it, my students made the best case for me”, he grins. “I don’t know if I’m the best master teacher, but I can certainly say that my students are very motivated and it’s a pleasure to teach them.”

Nuvolari teaches the courses ‘Perspectives on the European knowledge-based economy’, ‘Technology and growth’ and a multidisciplinary project in the School of Innovation Sciences, which is part of the Department of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences. He supervises a research project on patent citations for which he secured a Veni grant in 2006. He also supervises students in various phases of their theses.

“I don’t think I have a specific style of teaching. I did my PhD here and tried to learn from my colleagues, some of whom I imitated. For example, I tried to see how Professor Eddy Szirmai related to his students. He taught development studies and has since left for a post in Maastricht.”

Nuvolari prefers a direct, one-on-one teaching approach to more formal lectures, which is possible in a small program like that of Innovation Sciences. According to this teacher, students at a master level want to acquire a broader or critical range of skills to create their own path of learning. “By now I’m used to making appointments with everybody, that’s just the way things are done here. But students know that they can come in if they pass by my office and the door is open”, he says.

Guest lecturers
One of the things the student jury praised about Nuvolari’s teaching style is the fact that he regularly invites guest lecturers. “I always invite one of the directors of the European Patent Office during my course on patents. Students enjoy his lectures, as he is passionate about his work. He comes to explain how patents are written. On the one hand you want to make sure your discovery is covered, on the other you don’t want to give away too much. Of course there are always attorneys involved. And an examiner, who makes sure a patent describes a useful and novel application. You cannot for example patent a mathematical formula or anything too trivial. That’s why patents are not the clearest documents. Nevertheless, patent writing is something of an art.”

In Nuvolari’s course, students study the development of specific technology by looking at the related patents. “This can be a way to evaluate the quality of the patents and reconstruct the development of a technology. Patents provide a wonderful source of data on trends.”

“My own research focuses on how patents impact on innovation - their effect is at best neutral but usually detrimental. That’s why I’m an advocate of open source technology and of abolishing patents. I’m against intellectual monopolies which put the small players at a disadvantage.”

Nuvolari made a very clear choice to come to the Netherlands to work for his PhD. “I’m from Milan, but I wanted to do my PhD abroad. I chose the Netherlands because I like the idea of being part of the scientific staff and getting paid a decent wage instead of a student grant. In most countries you have to pay your own way. The Dutch system makes you feel you’re taken seriously and this ultimately helps with the transition to a job as an assistant professor. Its good to have your own office, your own computer en paid research. The Dutch system is also an excellent way of funding research”, he comments./.