European Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Engaged entrepreneurship research in Europe
ESU 2025 Conference and Doctoral Programme
September 1 - September 6
ESU 2025 Conference and Doctoral Programme will be held at Southampton Solent University on September 1-6, 2025.
ESU Concept
The aim of ESU is to strengthen European research and networks in entrepreneurship by focusing both on academic sessions and on the culture and heritage that the host country and region have to offer.
ESU also provides a friendly environment for young scholars to interact and bond within the research community, and to learn important skills for their future careers. At ESU, supervisors, researchers, and doctoral students from international institutions, active in entrepreneurship research and education, come together to share experiences and create new international networks, in a supportive environment.
The ESU Doctoral Programme is organized in the following format:
- Plenary sessions on specific topics with keynote speakers who will inspire and invite critical reflection on a variety of topics related to entrepreneurship. The topics typically include topical topics on entrepreneurship, innovative methodologies, publication and review process, career in academia and beyond with your PhD in entrepreneurship.
- Group discussions and presentations where you will have the opportunity to present your work in your group, discuss the work of your peers, and receive feedback from experienced scholars.
There will be three groups for the doctoral programme:
- Early-Stage Group: Students in this group have not started their doctoral studies or are in their first year. They present their research proposals.
- Work in Progress Group: Students in this group are in the middle of their PhD studies and will present their early-stage research.
- Writing-up group: Students in this group are close to completing their PhD research and will present their result papers.
Participating in the ESU Doctoral Programme and completing all its tasks gives you up to 6 ECTS equivalent. The detailed description of the tasks is described here.
The Conference Day
In addition to the Doctoral Programme, the ESU Conference offers regular conference tracks open to all attendees. All presentations will take place on the Conference Day, Wednesday 3rd September 2025. In particular, we invite the following scholars to send their papers:
- Postdocs (holding a postdoctoral position). They are invited to present their own work and act as speakers in the conference sessions. They can also be invited to act as junior coaches for PhD students and have some dedicated group presentations.
- Academics (Professors/Lecturers) are invited to present their own paper in the conference sessions. They can be invited as senior coaches for PhD students in group sessions and act, in some cases, as a keynote in plenary sessions.
Important Dates
18 April 2025: Deadline for submission of abstracts
4 July 2025: Deadline for submission of full papers
18 July 2025: Deadline for early registration (see registration information in the corresponding section)
Visit the ESU website: http://www.esu-network.eu/esu-conferences/