About Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference

Founded by Babson College in 1981, BCERC is considered by many to be the premier entrepreneurship research conference in the world. The BCERC was established to provide a dynamic venue where academics and real-world practitioners, through spirited dialogue, could link theory and practice. Each year, the conference attracts more than 350 entrepreneurial scholars who come to hear the presentation of more than 220 papers.

Doctorial Consortium

The BCERC Doctoral Consortium has been held in conjunction with the conference and provides doctoral students the opportunity to gain insight into current research issues through intense interaction with consortium faculty. The Consortium seeks to encourage scholars and educators to become leaders in the field of entrepreneurship education.

Babson College

Babson College is the educator, convener and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds®. The top-ranked college for entrepreneurship education, Babson is a dynamic living and learning laboratory where students, faculty and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society. We prepare the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to make a difference in the world, and have an impact on organizations of all sizes and types. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value.

Sponsors

Babson College & University of Tennessee, Knoxville

The 40th Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference and the Doctoral Consortium are co-sponsored by Babson College and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Within UT, sponsors include the Office of Research & Engagement, the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and the Haslam College of Business. The support of the Department of Management is also highly appreciated.

Office of Research & Engagement

The UT Office of Research & Engagement drives the campus research enterprise by providing technical expertise in proposal development, faculty development, sponsored programs administration and compliance requirements. The office administers $900K annual base funding to support research and creative activities through its Scholarly Activity and Research Incentive Funds (SARIF).

Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation

The Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation is a university-based resource dedicated to building strong entrepreneurial ecosystems across Tennessee and the region. The Anderson Center coordinates across UT’s multiple campuses and partners with local and regional governments as well as corporate and non-profit organizations statewide. Its mission is to foster an entrepreneurial culture by developing student skills, providing experiential learning opportunities, conducting meaningful entrepreneurial research and connecting students with mentors and resources that enable them to successfully start and grow new businesses.

Haslam College of Business

Big Orange, Big Ideas is a slogan we hear often at UT. At the Haslam College of Business, we take those words a step further, delivering big results by producing better, more prepared students and impactful, interdisciplinary research. We are 100 years strong in business education, covering the for-profit, not-for-profit and governmental sectors of business. The Haslam College of Business seeks to challenge the status quo, enhance knowledge, drive change and transform the world. We do so by inspiring our students, colleagues, business and society.

Department of Management

The Haslam College of Business’ Department of Management is dedicated to providing high-quality education in the management discipline through a creative balance of academic, professional and extracurricular programs. Through mutually beneficial partnerships with alumni, industry and local, state and federal governments, the department also provides public service assistance and collaborative research and scholarship, which contribute to the nation’s knowledge base in the management discipline.

Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful. The Kauffman Foundation is based in Kansas City, Missouri, and uses its $2 billion in assets to collaboratively help people be self-sufficient, productive citizens.