The Global Entrepreneurship Research Network (GERN) works to drive knowledge-creation efforts that translate research into evidence-based policies and programs to create healthier entrepreneurial ecosystems and higher impact entrepreneurial support organizations.
Background
In 2014, GEN and the Kauffman Foundation gathered funders of entrepreneurship research in Moscow during the Global Entrepreneurship Congress to find ways to address a problem: academic research on entrepreneurship was not keeping pace with the explosion of interest in entrepreneurial activity as a strategy for job creation, innovation and economic growth. The inadequacy of entrepreneurship research was becoming an obstacle to continued progress in advancing entrepreneurial economies.
GERN set out to provide policymakers and entrepreneurship support program leaders with:
- Greater quality and quantity of ecosystem diagnostics tools that are based on rigorous research.
- Improved access to strategy analysis and impact evaluations to help them achieve their goals.
- Enhanced availability of timely entrepreneurship data.
- Access to reliable benchmarking tools for gauging potential for entrepreneurial growth.
While advances have been made, researchers agree that there remains a paucity of data on which policies and programs actually help increase rates of new firm formation. At the same time, there is a growing demand for more robust evidence on what policies and interventions make a demonstrated difference in helping entrepreneurs.
Objectives
- Community building – Building a highly-connected, trust-based community of research stakeholders, to share knowledge and findings, help each other improve the quality of research undertaken, and, ultimately, advance a better understanding of entrepreneurship ecosystems globally.
- Agenda setting – Working with our members to set the entrepreneurship research agenda, focusing research capacity and funding on the most important and urgent priorities globally.
- Collaboration – Actively facilitating coordination, collaboration, and partnerships between our members, to deliver higher quality research.
- Translation – Working with our members to translate academically-rigorous research into actionable insights for policymakers and entrepreneurship practitioners.
- Dissemination – Using GEN’s reach to disseminate research findings and insights to ecosystem leaders, policymakers, ESOs, and GEN Affiliates globally.
Top-level priorities
- Ecosystem mapping – Advancing both understanding and support for entrepreneurs by creating the largest and best-maintained database of connections among key actors within startup ecosystems.
- Ecosystem metrics and performance - Identifying actionable insights that translate into better-informed policies and programs and more robust entrepreneurial ecosystems.
- Public policy evaluation – Helping governments and public sector bodies more efficiently assess the impact of entrepreneurship policies
- Enterprise Support Organization (ESO) performance - Helping entrepreneurship support organizations more efficiently assess their impact and performance through more cost-effective data collection and analysis
GERN members have the opportunity to:
- Present new research, share updates and event invitations, request support, and network with other members through bi-monthly member calls, member bulletins, GERN calendar, and the GERN WhatsApp Community.
- Participate in working groups - opt-in member-led groups that allow members to convene, collate resources and collaborate around shared topics of interest;
- Help expand GEN ATLAS - our compendium of public sector policies and programs;
- Participate in the GERN Annual Meeting held within the Global Entrepreneurship Congress each Spring.
Membership criteria
GERN welcomes new members from around the world. Applications are considered on a case-by-case basis within 30 days of being submitted. There is no membership fee.
Membership is open to individuals who commission, undertake, or publish entrepreneurship research within academia, government, think tanks, multinational bodies, foundations, consulting firms, or other research institutions.
Members are required to:
- Approach the network with a spirit of openness - actively engaging when possible by sharing updates, insights and opportunities, and providing support to other members;
- Participate in at least one monthly member call per year.
Members are encouraged to:
- Participate in one or more thematic working group;
- Attend the GERN Annual Meeting at GEC each Spring;
- Contribute one or more blog post per year for the GEN website.
Members remain part of the network as long as they are active and engaged. Membership is reviewed annually.