What Top Scholars Really Said About the Future of Entrepreneurship Research

Jan de Vries · 2026-09-25

Ever wonder what it actually takes to build a meaningful career studying entrepreneurship today? It's not just about publishing papers or climbing the academic ladder. The reality is far more personal, and honestly, more complicated. That's exactly what a group of about 20 PhD researchers, early-career academics, and seasoned scholars dug into at a special workshop held at Trinity Business School in Dublin last May. They weren't there for dry lectures. They created a space to be honest about academic life and to dream up what the future of this field could really look like. ### The Myth of the Straight Path We've all heard the standard script for success: publish, get grants, get promoted, build your reputation. Rinse and repeat. But for so many scholars, that's just not how it works. The workshop pushed everyone to question that tidy narrative. What does success mean to *you*? Through interactive sessions, they acknowledged the truth—academic careers are messy. They're full of wins, sure, but also uncertainty, transitions, and moments where you feel totally lost from your original passion. This conversation is happening against a backdrop of relentless performance metrics, journal rankings, and institutional pressure. Those things matter, no doubt. But they can also box us into a very narrow definition of what it means to be successful. The big takeaway? There's a strong push to develop your authentic self as a scholar, to hold onto your personal values, and to remember that a meaningful career can look a thousand different ways. ### A Day Built for Real Talk The schedule mixed keynotes with hands-on workshops and open conversations. It was designed to get people thinking and connecting. - The day kicked off with a session on wellbeing and purpose by Dr. Deirdre McGillicuddy from University College Dublin. It set a supportive, reflective tone right from the start. - After coffee and networking, the first activity, "Through the Looking Glass," had everyone examining their own academic journeys. - Dr. Briga Hynes from the University of Limerick then led a crucial talk on gender, equity, and inclusion. It wasn't just about identifying barriers but finding real ways to build a more inclusive environment. - An activity called "Picking up the Pieces" helped connect these big discussions to everyone's personal experiences. After lunch, things got interactive. Professor Gary Kerr ran a session called "Playing the GAME: Understanding What Others Want… Shhhhhh." It was all about decoding the unspoken rules—what do institutions, reviewers, and colleagues *really* expect? And how do you navigate that without losing yourself? The day wrapped up with a creative exercise where people shared their hopes, fears, and ambitions for the road ahead. It was a powerful reminder that behind all the research and titles, scholars are people charting their own unique courses. So, what's the future of entrepreneurship scholarship? It's not a single path. It's a landscape being reshaped by scholars who are daring to define success on their own terms, valuing wellbeing alongside output, and building a more inclusive community. That's a future worth working toward.