Knowledge Platform: Entrepreneurship and social change

Within the knowledge platform Entrepreneurship and social change, research, teaching and collaboration are integrated.

Research manager: Professor Malin Tillmar

Teaching manager: Lecturer Katarina Ellborg

Directors of programme studies: Senior lecturer Marina Jogmark and senior lecturer Erik Rosell

Administrator/coordinator: Frida Sjökvist

Calendar

Rural Entrepreneurship in Times of Transformation Conference 13 Jun 2023 - 16 Jun 2023 8:30 AM4:30 PM

Publications

See a list of publications

Research

The entrepreneurship research within the knowledge platform is characterised by a broad take on the concept of entrepreneurship, where innovation and creativity within all sectors of society (private, public and civil society) and organisations are included. Quite often, entrepreneurship is organised through collaboration across different sectors (as is often the case in social economy and societal entrepreneurship), which is one of our focus areas. Social, economic and ecological sustainability, globally as well as locally, are other overall themes.

Linnaeus University has profiled itself as “The entrepreneurial university”, which, among other things, means that students on a number of different programmes study entrepreneurship. The perceptions of ‘entrepreneurship’ and ‘the entrepreneur’ that many of our students, as well as society in general, have are part of our research – as are critical perspectives of entrepreneurship, the diversity of entrepreneurship and gender perspectives of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship in practice, including entrepreneurship on the countryside, is also part of our focus areas.

Third-cycle (doctoral) education

3FFE094 Family Entrepreneurship, 7,5 ECTS Third Level Course in Business Administration

Ongoing doctoral student projects

We feel therefore we act: Grassroot entrepreneuring and cross-collaboration in sustainable development projects in Africa

Alina Husung

The project aims to create an understanding for entrepreneurial organisation and collaboration between grassroot initiatives and organisations that work across different sectors in connection to sustainable development projects in Africa (country will be specified at a later stage).

Social, sustainable and societal aspects of entrepreneurial organisation are studied through an interactive research method that comprises longer field studies, participative observations and in-depth interviews. Among the theoretical perspectives, we find process theories on entrepreneurship and postcolonial theories. The study is financed by the school of business and economics.

Main supervisor is Malin Tillmar.

Cultural entrepreneurship & Private Art Organisations

David Calås

Departing from the increased presence of private and civic initiatives among the emergence of cultural organisations, the research project focuses on the creation of art exhibition organisations. The study explores the driving forced behind cultural initiatives springing from the private and civic sectors by studying how founders of art museums and art galleries legitimize and realize their initiatives. By studying how, why and who initiates and carries out these cultural ventures, the project aims to contribute with an increased understanding of how cultural values are produced. The study is financed by the school of business and economics.

Main supervisor is Daniel Ericsson.

Research projects

Research groups

Art, Culture and Entrepreneurship At a time when art and culture increasingly are subjected to market conditions, entrepreneurship has become a force to be reckoned with in society, not only as a…

External research groups we are part of

EMBLA

Mathias Karlsson presents his research about entrepreneurship as a force for societal change.

Education

The knowledge platform is responsible for programmes and courses at first- and second-cycle level, as well as for being a dialogue partner for other faculties involved in entrepreneurship education through ‘The entrepreneurial university’. The aim of the education within our programmes, courses, and ‘The entrepreneurial university’, is to create conditions for a broad entrepreneurship in all sectors of society and to equip our students so that they are able to consciously and critically contribute to society through a sustainable entrepreneurship.

As its basis, our education uses a pedagogy that is based on problem-based learning and co-creation with local and regional actors. To support the development of the education, we have established a co-creator’s council with representatives from the trade and industry, civil society, and authorities in the region.

Programmes

Collaboration

Much of the research and teaching is carried out in close and interactive collaboration with the surrounding society in Småland, where local and regional actors, researchers and students are co-creators of the knowledge we produce, document and publish.

Co-creative advice Council

Within the knowledge platform, we strive to work more integrated with research, education and collaboration. We stand for a broad view of entrepreneurship (new ideas that are realized in all sectors of society), that collaboration across sectoral and subject boundaries is therefore central and that entrepreneurship exists in our everyday lives.

As part of integrating research and education with collaboration, we have established a Co-operation Council of about 20 actors in the Linnaeus regions (Kalmar and Kronoberg). The council members represent both the private and public sectors and civil society organizations.

The purpose of the Co-operation Council is multiple

We want to offer an arena for learning and exchange of experience between academia and other sectors of society in entrepreneurship issues.
We want to ensure the relevance of our research and education in the surrounding community.
We want our research results to benefit the region's organizations.
We want to enable mutual exchange between the region's organizations and our researchers and students.