The Brett Centre for Entrepreneurship recently hosted a two-day workshop designed to strengthen research capability and inspire impactful scholarship in entrepreneurship. The event brought together over 25 Early Career Researchers (ECRs), postgraduate researchers, senior academics, and journal editors from leading institutions across the UK and Europe.
The workshop focused on theory, pedagogy, and practice-led research agendas, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Participants represented a diverse range of universities, including Aston, Warwick, Durham, Manchester Metropolitan, Birmingham, Loughborough, Strathclyde, Wolverhampton, Ravensbourne, Bayes Business School, De Montfort, Liverpool, Turin (Italy), Oldenburg (Germany), and Limerick (Ireland). This diversity enriched discussions and created a dynamic environment for sharing and refining ideas.
Senior scholars and journal editors from top publications, including Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, International Small Business Journal, and Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, played a key role in guiding participants.
The speaker line-up featured renowned academics, including Professor David Audretsch (Indiana University), Professor Diane Holt (Leeds University), Professor Paul Jones (Swansea University), and Professor Robert Blackburn (University of Liverpool), alongside emerging researchers, Thahfah Thaha (University of Liverpool), Dr Katherine Neary (Liverpool John Moores University), and Dr Lee Wainwright (Durham University).
A highlight of the event was the themed abstract presentations, where participants showcased their developing research. These sessions sparked lively debate and provided constructive feedback on designing, positioning, and communicating entrepreneurship research for academic, policy, and societal impact.
Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive, praising the supportive atmosphere, high-quality discussions, and practical insights gained from direct engagement with experienced scholars and editors. Many noted increased confidence in producing impactful research and forming collaborative networks.
One participant from Strathclyde University commented
‘The event was exceptionally well-curated, offering an intellectually stimulating environment that fostered rigorous academic exchange and invaluable feedback, insights that will significantly inform the trajectory of my doctoral research. The workshop sessions provided profound clarity on the multifaceted concept of research impact spanning the generation of knowledge, the shaping of practice, and the influence on policy. The emphasis on dissemination strategies, ranging from peer-reviewed publications and policy briefs to engagement through academic platforms such as Google Scholar and ResearchGate, was particularly enriching. Equally noteworthy were discussions on strategic networking, collaborative scholarship, and the quantifiable measurement of research influence through citations, downloads, and demonstrable policy uptake.’
The Brett Centre for Entrepreneurship is proud to have created a collaborative space for advancing engaged scholarship in entrepreneurship, strengthening research capacity among ECRs and PhDs, and reinforcing the importance of dialogue and shared learning in shaping the future of the field.