The Anderson Center’s research goals are to facilitate and disseminate cutting-edge academic research on issues concerning entrepreneurship and innovation.

To achieve these goals, the Anderson Center supports UT researchers through the Anderson Center Research Fund and partners with academic departments to promote research about entrepreneurship and innovation.

#7 in Entrepreneurship Research Productivity

The University of Tennessee is proudly ranked #7 in Entrepreneurship Research Productivity achieved by our five renowned Department of Management & Entrepreneurship research faculty members.

Universities around the world are continually conducting research that impacts the future of business innovation. Launched in 2009 by the Neeley School of Business, the TCU Global University Entrepreneurship Research Productivity Rankings track research articles in entrepreneurship journals according to authorship and university affiliation. The list is the only research-focused ranking of entrepreneurial programs.

Areas of Research

UTK faculty and PhD students conduct world-class research to develop solutions and actionable knowledge concerning problems faced by entrepreneurs and innovators every day in order to provide guidance for current entrepreneurs and to prepare the next generation. Our research builds a foundation of knowledge that informs today’s classrooms so that students can improve their ability to start, run, and generate value from a new company.

ACEI Research Fellows

The ACEI Research Fellows initiative aims to bridge academic research and practice related to entrepreneurship and innovation. The inaugural ACEI Research Fellows cohort includes seven interdisciplinary UT faculty members committed to bridging academic research and practice.

Led by ACEI research director, Melissa Cardon, the program aims to foster dialogue between academics and practitioners about the challenges entrepreneurs face and how researchers can better understand, study and help to alleviate those challenges.

The inaugural ACEI Research Fellows cohort includes:

• Don Bruce, Randy and Jenny Boyd Distinguished Professor, Haslam College of Business; director, Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research
• Joan Heminway, Rick Rose Distinguished Professor, College of Law; interim director, Institute For Professional Leadership
• Jessica Jones, assistant professor, Haslam 
• Brian Krumm, associate professor, Law
• Myra Loveday, director, Retail Strategies and Rocky Top Institute, College of Education, Health and Human Sciences
• Alex Miller, William B. Stokely Chair in Management, Haslam; Director Emeritus, Consortium for Social Enterprise Effectiveness
• David Williams, professor of management and entrepreneurship; director of the Ph.D. in Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Organizations Program; William B. Stokely Distinguished Scholar, Haslam

Read more about this new initiative.

Anderson Center Research Fund

The Anderson Center Research Fund was formed with the objective of advancing the quality and quantity of UT-generated research on entrepreneurship and innovation. Ultimately, this work should inform the research community as well as help promote entrepreneurial success and community investment in appropriate entrepreneurship-oriented support, infrastructure and startups.

Babson 2023

The Haslam College of Business will host the Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference in 2023.  Babson College established the Entrepreneurial Research Conference 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.