Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research
Encyclopedia
Since its inception in 1996 the Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research has become firmly established as the foremost global award for research on entrepreneurship. This Prize is awarded annually and it consists of the statuette "The Hand of God”, created by Swedish Sculptor Carl Milles
, and a Prize sum of 100,000 euros.
The organizations behind the Prize are the Swedish Foundation for Small Business Research (FSF), the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Nutek) and the Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN).
Mellby Gård AB.
.”
Hence, the prime reason for receiving the Award is outstanding scientific achievement. In addition, other aspects may be factored in. The ambition behind the Award is threefold:
Another dimension concerns what aspects of entrepreneurship that can be rewarded. Here at least three important aspects come to mind:
The nominations provide the first step in the creation of a list of potential candidates considered by the Prize Committee. It is at the discretion of the Committee to decide which candidates should be targeted for a more thorough evaluation. A candidate can be short-listed for several years and therefore during that time be regarded as a potential candidate for the Award.
All short-listed candidates are thoroughly evaluated by a specialist in the candidate’s field. These outside evaluations are strictly confidential. The evaluation of a Winner by the commissioned expert will form the basis for a published presentation of the Winner co-authored by the outside expert and the member of the Prize Committee who is most familiar with the Winner‘s work. In some cases the commissioned expert may be a member of the Prize Committee, but this is likely to be an exception rather than a rule.
in central Sweden
in late January. After the announcement the Award Winner is requested to prepare a publishable Prize Lecture that can be delivered at the official Award ceremony in Stockholm
in September.
The Award is typically conferred by the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Communication and the Winner is then expected to tour Sweden during the Entrepreneurship Week, the annual seminar tour of Swedish university cities taking place during the week (in September) when the Award is conferred.
who revolutionized precision measuring of auto and other industrial parts which made the assembly line possible, and the original still stands in Johansson’s hometown of Eskilstuna
.
Throughout the 1930s Milles worked at Cranbrook Academy of Art near Detroit. Thanks to a contribution from the United Auto Workers
“The Hand of God” was recast and donated to the city of Detroit
in honor of Frank Murphy
, Michigan Governor and US Supreme Court
Associate Justice
. It now stands outside the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice
in Detroit.
Carl Milles
Carl Milles was a Swedish sculptor, best known for his fountains. He was married to artist Olga Milles and brother to Ruth Milles and half brother to the architect Evert Milles...
, and a Prize sum of 100,000 euros.
The organizations behind the Prize are the Swedish Foundation for Small Business Research (FSF), the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Nutek) and the Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN).
The Prize
In 1996 Swedish Foundation for Small Business Research (FSF) and the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Nutek) instituted the International Award for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Research. In 2008 the Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN) joined FSF and Nutek to become the third partner in awarding the Prize. At the same time the Prize sum was doubled to 100,000 euros, the name of the Prize was changed, and the procedure for nominating and evaluating prospective Award Winners was strengthened. The partnership of IFN became possible thanks to a donation by the Swedish entrepreneur and industrialist Rune Andersson and his holding companyHolding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
Mellby Gård AB.
Criteria
According to the statutes the Award should be given to “a person who has produced scientific work of outstanding quality and importance, thereby giving a significant contribution to theory-building concerning entrepreneurship and small business development, the role and importance of new firm formation and the role of SMEs in economic developmentEconomic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
.”
Hence, the prime reason for receiving the Award is outstanding scientific achievement. In addition, other aspects may be factored in. The ambition behind the Award is threefold:
- to highlight the importance of research produced in the areas of entrepreneurship and small business
- to further stimulate and promote research within these fields, and
- to diffuse the state-of-the-art research among scholars, policymakers, practitioners, and people involved in small business development.
What is rewarded?
Over a longer time span the Award winning contributions should reflect the extraordinary width of entrepreneurship as a social science field, spanning the entire spectrum from anthropology to theoretical microeconomics, and its methodological diversity.Another dimension concerns what aspects of entrepreneurship that can be rewarded. Here at least three important aspects come to mind:
- the environment and the organizations in which entrepreneurship is conducted
- the character of the entrepreneur (personality, cognitive and affective aspects)
- the role of the entrepreneur and/or the entrepreneurial function in a wider sense (at the level of the community, region, country, industry)
Nomination
A number of distinguished entrepreneurship scholars are invited in May–June every year to nominate candidates. The invitation is extended to:- All previous Award Winners
- The editors and the members of the editorial boards of the journals in entrepreneurship and small business research included in the Social Sciences Citation Index: Journal of Business Venturing, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Small Business EconomicsSmall Business EconomicsSmall Business Economics is a scholarly business and economics journal published by Springer Netherlands. Journal Description from the official webpage: "Entrepreneurship is increasingly important as a scholarly field. Small Business Economics provides an invaluable forum for research and...
, Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, Journal of Small Business Management and International Small Business Journal - Present and past members of the FSF Scientific Forum who also hold or have held positions as full professors
The nominations provide the first step in the creation of a list of potential candidates considered by the Prize Committee. It is at the discretion of the Committee to decide which candidates should be targeted for a more thorough evaluation. A candidate can be short-listed for several years and therefore during that time be regarded as a potential candidate for the Award.
Selection
The Prize Committee “inherits” a limited number of short-listed candidates from the previous year, and except in rare cases the Winner will be selected from this pool of short-listed candidates. However, the Committee is also commissioned to add one or two new candidates to this pool based on nominations and discussions in that year (and previous years).All short-listed candidates are thoroughly evaluated by a specialist in the candidate’s field. These outside evaluations are strictly confidential. The evaluation of a Winner by the commissioned expert will form the basis for a published presentation of the Winner co-authored by the outside expert and the member of the Prize Committee who is most familiar with the Winner‘s work. In some cases the commissioned expert may be a member of the Prize Committee, but this is likely to be an exception rather than a rule.
Announcement
The Award Winner is announced at FSF’s Annual Conference (“Small Business Days”) in the city of ÖrebroÖrebro
-Sites of interest:Örebro's old town Wadköping is located on the banks of Svartån . It contains many 18th and 19th century wooden houses, along with museums and exhibitions....
in central Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in late January. After the announcement the Award Winner is requested to prepare a publishable Prize Lecture that can be delivered at the official Award ceremony in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
in September.
The Award is typically conferred by the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Communication and the Winner is then expected to tour Sweden during the Entrepreneurship Week, the annual seminar tour of Swedish university cities taking place during the week (in September) when the Award is conferred.
Carl Milles and the statuette
Carl Milles was arguably Sweden’s most prominent sculptor in the 20th century. “The Hand of God” was one of Milles’ last works before his death. Originally, Milles created it to honor the Swedish innovator and entrepreneur Carl Edvard JohanssonCarl Edvard Johansson
Carl Edvard Johansson was a Swedish inventor and scientist.Johansson invented the gauge block set, also known as "Jo Blocks" . He was granted his first Swedish patent on 2 May 1901, Swedish patent No. 17017 called "Gauge Block Sets for Precision Measurement". He formed the Swedish company CE...
who revolutionized precision measuring of auto and other industrial parts which made the assembly line possible, and the original still stands in Johansson’s hometown of Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 60,185 inhabitants in 2005. Eskilstuna has a large Sweden Finn population....
.
Throughout the 1930s Milles worked at Cranbrook Academy of Art near Detroit. Thanks to a contribution from the United Auto Workers
United Auto Workers
The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers , is a labor union which represents workers in the United States and Puerto Rico, and formerly in Canada. Founded as part of the Congress of Industrial...
“The Hand of God” was recast and donated to the city of Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
in honor of Frank Murphy
Frank Murphy
William Francis Murphy was a politician and jurist from Michigan. He served as First Assistant U.S. District Attorney, Eastern Michigan District , Recorder's Court Judge, Detroit . Mayor of Detroit , the last Governor-General of the Philippines , U.S...
, Michigan Governor and US Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...
. It now stands outside the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice
Hall of Justice
A Hall of Justice is an occasional term for a city's police headquarters, and exists in cities across the United States. In some cases, the facility may also house courts as well as jails...
in Detroit.
Previous winners
Below is a table listing previous winners through 2008, their fields of expertise and their individual prize motivations.