9th Paper Development Seminar: Entrepreneurship Research Insights

Jan de Vries · 2026-07-07

On May 28 and 29, 2026, the University of Seville turned into a buzzing hub for entrepreneurship scholars. The Paper Development Seminar (PDS) on Entrepreneurship Process Research has become a must-attend event in the global academic calendar. Co-organized by the University of Seville and the Observatorio del Ecosistema Emprendedor de Andalucia (OEEA) — the team behind the GEM and GUESSS projects in the region — the 9PDS keeps pushing how we study the entrepreneurial journey. ### What Makes 9PDS Special? The main goal of the 9PDS is simple: give early-career and seasoned researchers a friendly, collaborative space to polish their work for top-tier journals. To keep it intimate and productive, participation is capped at just 20 selected proposals and papers. That means everyone gets real, focused attention. This year, people came from all over Europe and beyond. Over two days, presentations covered a wide range of topics using a process lens. Discussions touched on everything from ADHD symptoms and entrepreneurial bricolage, to how frontier-tech ecosystems work in Africa, the impact of AI on founder well-being, and failure paths in social ventures. ### A Fresh Focus on Gender A big highlight this year was a dedicated push on gender and entrepreneurship. In partnership with the CreaVES project — an initiative approved by the Spanish Research Agency (AEI) that looks at how social gender stereotypes and personal values shape business creation — the 9PDS held a special session on this important topic. - **Key insight:** Gender dynamics are often overlooked in entrepreneurship research, but they matter a lot. - **Real-world impact:** Understanding stereotypes can help build more inclusive startup ecosystems. ### Learning from World-Class Editors Beyond peer chats, the real gem of the 9PDS is the structured feedback and mentorship from a panel of famous journal editors. Each participant got written and oral feedback from at least two experts, guiding them on what they need to improve for top-tier publication. The plenary sessions were like masterclasses from some of the best in the field: - Profs. Ulla Hytti (University of Turku) and Miruna Radu-Lefebvre (Audencia Business School) kicked things off with a thought-provoking talk: "How about men entrepreneurs? Gender, masculinities and entrepreneurship." - Prof. Ute Stephan (King's College London) shared an insider's guide during her session, "How to publish in top management and entrepreneurship journals." - Prof. Susana C. Santos (Florida State University) gave a powerful, urgent talk on "Entrepreneurship amid war." The academic program ended with an interactive Round Table on "Emerging topics and practices in entrepreneurship research," bringing together the wisdom of Profs. Hytti, Liguori, Santos, and Stephan to help participants navigate the future of scholarly publishing. ### Celebrating Excellence The closing ceremony celebrated the amazing quality of work presented this year. It was sponsored by the European Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ECSB) through their ECSB Event Fund initiative. The Best Paper Award went to PhD student Robert Hoyer from Leuphana University, earning him a free one-year membership to the ECSB. This shows how the 9PDS really supports rising stars in entrepreneurship research. Overall, the 9th Paper Development Seminar was a fantastic blend of learning, networking, and inspiration. It's clear that events like this are key to advancing how we understand and study entrepreneurship.