III Mercosur SME Network Research Colloquium for PhD and Master’s students

Red Pymes Mercosur Conference gathers researchers from MERCOSUR countries engaged in development studies focused on SMEs, according to regional specificities. The conference has a solid territorial focus and over 25 years of experience. It is a space of knowledge generation and a permanent link between SMEs’ reality and their environment. The Red Pymes Mercosur highly appreciates interdisciplinary and critical perspectives.

The last two editions of the conference hold a pre-conference colloquium organised jointly by YSI-INET and Red PYMEs. This edition will also have a pre-conference colloquium with Young Scholars interested in current problems crucial for SMEs and the territorial development process.

YSI – Red PYMEs workshop aims to gather a highly motivated group of Master’s and PhD Students in Management, Applied Economics or related fields from Mercosur to present their research, exchange experiences and receive feedback from their peers and well-known senior scholars.

The main objective is to generate a space to discuss thesis proposals, promote and disseminate research advances in related topics, contribute to developing research capacities and strengthen community and institutional cooperation.

Event format

The event foresees two meetings: one virtual and one in person, as a pre-conference event of the XXIX Red PYMEs Conference (Concordia, Argentina). The virtual meeting will include a methodological workshop to help students enrich their research proposals.

Finally, in the face-to-face session, the participants will present their proposals and discuss them with peers and senior scholars. Each presentation will receive feedback from a junior discussant (a fellow participant) and a senior discussant (the mentors). Additionally, the colloquium will include a round table with experts on the field.

Who should apply?

Master and PhD students from the Mercosur region are welcome to apply, considering research topics such as business, regional economics, innovation, and related fields relevant to SME problematics. Other Master and PhD students from other countries are also welcome, as long as their research topics are related to Mercosur region themes.

Application requirements:

• Participation is open to students from PhD or Master’s programmes in Administration, Economics and other social sciences interested in development and SMEs in Mercosur context.
• Thesis projects should be related to the following axes and themes of the SMEs Mercosur Network, although not exclusively:
  • Territorial development
  • Management and development of SMEs
  • Organisation of work in SMEs
  • Innovation in SMEs
  • Entrepreneurs and start-ups
  • Public policies for entrepreneurs and SMEs
  • Regional innovation systems, clusters and entrepreneurial ecosystems
  • Digital transformation in SMEs
  • Studies with a gender perspective on SMEs and entrepreneurs
  • STI policies
  • Studies on sustainability and environmental management in SMEs and entrepreneurs

Submissions must be based on one of the following options:

Early stage research
Please, include in your submission:

• Name of the master/doctoral program and institution
• Abstract (500 words) and key words
• PDF document including:
  • Motivation (approx. 2 pages)
  • Justification. Definition of the research question and the main objective. The expected contribution of the study (originality and relevance).
  • Possible research approaches (approx. 2 pages)
  • Brief description of possible theoretical and methodological approaches, or a summarized discussion of the empirical strategy to be implemented.
  • References (APA format)

Advanced research
Please, include in your submission:

• Name of the master/doctoral program and institution
• Abstract (500 words) and key words
• PDF document including:
  • Motivation (approx. 2 pages)
  • Justification. Definition of the research question and the main objective. The expected contribution of the study (originality and relevance).
  • Theoretical framework (approx. 4/5 pages)
  • Include the literature positioning, synthesis of relevant theories and main findings. Ideally, it should contain a) definition of critical concepts for the study, b) an identification of central dimensions for the analysis, c) construction of the logic of the argument and substantiation of the hypotheses (if applicable) and d) general contextualization, describing the sector or context in which it applies.
  • Methodological proposal and expected results (approx. 3 page)
  • Empirical strategy; Methodological design; selection of cases for qualitative analyses or data collection procedures and data sources for quantitative analysis. Synthetically anticipate the results expected from the study.
  • References (APA format)

Submissions could be in Spanish, English or Portuguese.

Important dates:

• June 15: Registration Open
• AUGUST 5: Submission and funding application deadline
• AUGUST 10 (max): Notification on acceptance and funding via email
• September (TBC): First Virtual Meeting. (Participants will receive further instructions via email).
• September 24-26: III Mercosur SME Network Research Colloquium for PhD and Master’s students (Concordia, Argentina