Recently, top-tier academic institutions among the Aurora universities, along with affiliated partners spanning diverse sectors, secured funding through the European Commission’s Call for MSCA Doctoral Networks 2023. Having been involved in the proposal writing as a PI for the UT, Svenja Damberg (BMS) will be involved as a lecturer in several transferable skills courses included in the DN’s training programme, such as “designing research for studying social entrepreneurship”, “research methods to analyse social entrepreneurship data”, and a course about translating research for practitioners. The UT’s involvement further includes Michel Ehrenhard as main supervisor and Svenja Damberg as co-supervisor of some of the network’s doctoral students.
Under the guidance of Professor Kai Hockerts at the Copenhagen Business School (CBS), the seizmic doctoral network (seizmic DN) represents a collaborative endeavor focused on investigating the scaling of social enterprises. Despite the acknowledged potential of social enterprises to enact significant societal transformations, their scaling mechanisms—essential for widening their influence—remain inadequately understood. The seizmic DN aims to bridge this knowledge gap by constructing a comprehensive interdisciplinary theoretical framework aimed at examining the replication and emulation of social entrepreneurship concepts.
Three doctoral summer universities
At the core of seizmic DN's mission lies a robust doctoral training program, structured around three doctoral summer universities. These events will be hosted by esteemed members of the Aurora universities: the University Federico II of Naples, Copenhagen Business School, and the University of Iceland. Their aim is to equip candidates for prominent roles in both academia and practical settings. The program provides an immersive research environment where doctoral candidates delve into intricate real-world instances of social entrepreneurship, guided by 22 seasoned supervisors. These training sessions encompass diverse interdisciplinary research methodologies and offer substantial exposure to the non-academic sector, fostering a tangible grasp of social entrepreneurship.
A vibrant community
As seizmic DN progresses, it encourages engagement from the academic community, industry stakeholders, and the public. For those interested in the intersection of innovation, social impact, and sustainability, the doctoral network offers numerous opportunities for collaboration and professional development. The seizmic DN is more than just a research initiative: it is a vibrant community of scholars and practitioners dedicated to a better understanding of social entrepreneurship scaling.
Link to Aurora-network: https://aurora-universities.eu/european-commission-awards-grant-for-seizmic-doctoral-network/
