European Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Engaged entrepreneurship research in Europe

Chairpersons:

Professor Helle Neergaard
Aarhus University, Denmark

Professor René Mauer
ESCP Europe, Germany

The Doctoral Workshop has a successful tradition at RENT. So successful that we are now offering a one-day workshop exclusively for doctoral students in the Baltics, Eastern Europe and the Balkans. The workshop is free of charge for members of ECSB. The membership fee is €35 for doctoral students. In order to become a member, please follow this link: https://ecsb.org/join-ecsb/

The workshop represents a unique opportunity for doctoral students to present their thesis proposals and obtain useful insight into how their work can be improved and progressed as well as an opportunity for bouncing ideas off on experienced faculty. The workshop also facilitates the exchange of research experiences and new ideas in the fields of entrepreneurship and small business. We particularly encourage students in the early stages of their research to participate as a way of launching themselves into the international research community.

The workshop is organized with a morning and an afternoon session. The morning session is a round table plenary session with a facilitated discussion of common challenges. The afternoon session is split up into 4-5 tracks to discuss individual student proposals in small groups. One or two senior faculty (group session leaders) will discuss each proposal. Feedback will also be expected from peers. All we expect is a reasonable level of English so that participants can interact fully in the process.

Doctoral candidates interested in attending and presenting their research proposal (not the result of completed research or individual articles) should send a two-page abstract including information on when they commenced their Ph.D. study and when they expect to complete. The abstract should be organized according to the following guidelines: it should explain (i) the topicality of the research, (ii) the theoretical background, (iii) stating research question(s) and theory questions, as well as (iv) the proposed methodology and (v) expected contribution to the field. It should clearly state the name of the applicant and the title of the thesis in the name of the document.

The abstract should be sent to Professor Helle Neergaard (Helle.Neergaard@mgmt.au.dk) no later than May 1, 2021. Accepted participants are expected to deliver an extended 6-page proposal by June 1, 2021. The proposal will be used as basis for the afternoon discussions and will be distributed to other doctoral students and the group session leaders. There will be no participation without the delivery of an extended proposal. Participants will be sent a safe zoom link upon receipt of the extended proposal prior to June 23,  2021.

The number of participants is limited to 20 students. Early application is encouraged, since the workshop tends to fill up quickly and there is usually a long waiting list. We apply a strict first come-first served policy in selecting students and we prioritize early stage students. Applicants will be notified of acceptance of their proposal no later than May 10, 2021. Immediately following receipt of acceptance, students are required to register formally. You register formally by becoming a member of ECSB. If you do not become a member, you will not be sent a zoom link. Further information on the Doctoral Workshop will be forwarded together with the letter of acceptance. For further information on ECSB, please see www.ecsb.org. This is also the place to become familiar with ECSB and the advantages our organization offers.