BOOST - Building Outstanding Opportunities for Sustained Growth and Transformation

Name: BOOST - Building Outstanding Opportunities for Sustained Growth and Transformation
Start: 2026-04-13T08:30:00
End: 2026-04-14T11:00:00

The BOOST Workshop is designed to foster advanced research development, scholarly collaboration, and meaningful engagement with business practice. It brings together researchers and industry experts in the fields of entrepreneurship and management. The workshop program includes keynote lectures, panel discussions, editorial insights, and interactive roundtable sessions. A core feature of BOOST is the opportunity for participants to receive in-depth, constructive feedback on their ongoing research projects from senior scholars in entrepreneurship and management.

Info

Event date

13.04.2026 11:30 - 14.04.2026 14:00

Event type

Public lectures, seminars and round tables

Workshops, courses and camps

Event language

English

Event address

Satamakatu 10
Jyväskylä 40100
Finland

Event payment

Free of charge

Welcome to the BOOST 2 – Building Outstanding Opportunities for Sustained Growth and Transformation workshop, taking place on April 13–14, 2026 at Satama Viilu, located in the heart of Jyväskylä, Finland.

Set against the vibrant lakeside scenery of Jyväskylä’s harbor district, BOOST 2 brings together leading scholars, journal editors, and practitioners for two dynamic days of research development, entrepreneurship dialogue, and meaningful networking.

Participants can expect inspiring keynote talks, interactive Meet-the-Editors sessions, paper development roundtables, practitioner insights, and structured opportunities to build lasting academic and industry collaborations—all in a collegial and forward-looking atmosphere.

Organizing Committee

Corresponding Co-Chair: Dr. Daria Hakola (University of Jyväskylä School of Business and Economics)
Co-Chair: Dr. Mari Suoranta (University of Jyväskylä School of Business and Economics)

Supporting Institutions

Turku School of Economics
European Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship

All inquiries should be forwarded to daria.d.hakola(at)jyu.fi

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Call for papers

BOOST - Call for Papers

BOOST is a research development workshop focused on entrepreneurship, strategy, and firm growth under conditions of rapid change. The workshop brings together scholars, journal editors, and industry representatives to provide constructive and developmental feedback on working papers.

We welcome submissions from researchers at all career stages whose work engages with questions related to entrepreneurial action, firm scaling, renewal, and strategic adaptation in uncertain environments.

📝 What to Submit

• A working paper (full paper preferred; extended abstracts considered in justified cases)

• The paper must not be published or accepted in a journal at the time of submission

• Submissions should be prepared for academic journal development

The goal of BOOST is to help participants strengthen their manuscripts toward submission to leading journals.

👥 Development Format

Accepted papers will receive:

• Structured feedback in small roundtable discussions

• Comments from experienced senior scholars

• Opportunities to engage with journal representatives during the “Meet the Editors” sessions

📬 Submission

Please submit your working paper via the submission form available here.

We look forward to welcoming you to Jyväskylä for two days of focused academic development, collegial discussion, and future research collaboration.

📅 Important Dates

Submission deadline: March 15, 2026
Workshop dates: April 13–14, 2026

💶 Travel Support

A limited number of participants (max. 5) may receive partial travel support (200€ fixed amount) after the workshop.

Priority is given to:

Strong paper submissions (“best paper” runners-up)
Active members of the European Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ECSB)

Please note that travel grants are limited and cannot be guaranteed.

Programme

BOOST 2 (2026) – Programme Overview

Building Outstanding Opportunities for Sustained Growth and Transformation
📍 April 13–14, 2026 | Jyväskylä, Finland

We are delighted to present the programme for BOOST 2 (2026), a two-day research development workshop bringing together researchers, journal editors, and practitioners in entrepreneurship and strategy. The program is subject to a change.

Both days of the workshop will be held at Jyväskylä Harbour Viilu, located in the city’s harbor area (Satamakatu 10, 40100 Jyväskylä).

🔹Day 1 – April 13🔹

11:30 Welcome note by Vice-Rector Pasi Raiskinmäki (JYU)& BOOST2 introduction by organizers

Dr. Daria Hakola and Dr. Mari Suoranta.

12:15 - 13:00 Networking lunch.

13:00 - 13:30 Keynote by Professor Christina Theodoraki: "Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Time of Change: Coordination, Adaptation, and Growth".

13:30 - 14:00 Keynote by Professor Kim Klyver: "Entrepreneurship in a Poly-Crisis World: Why Context Matters More Than Ever".

14:00 - 15:30 Meet the Editors (Session 1) with representatives from:

Small Business Economics Journal
Journal of Small Business Management
Journal of Business Venturing Insights

15:30 - 16:00 Coffee break

16:00 - 17:30 Paper Development Round Tables and a wrap-up.

19:00 Dinner @ Restaurant Pöllöwaari (Yliopistonkatu 23, 40100 Jyväskylä)

🔹Day 2 – April 14🔹

8:30 - 9:00 GEM 2026 insights by Professor Matti Muhos.

9:00 - 10:30 Meet the Editors (Session 2) includes:

Entrepreneurship and Regional Development Journal
Journal of Business Research
International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development

10:30 - 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 - 11:30 Industry keynote by Dr. Vilja Laaksonen: "The growth paradox: Why strategy struggles to become everyday practice?"

11:30 - 12:00 Industry keynote by Dr. Kari Aho: "Secapp – from research innovation to global markets".

12:00 - 13:00 Industry–university workshop.

13:00 - 14:00 Lunch and wrap-up.

BOOST 2 is a co-branded event with European Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

First BOOST Workshop

Date: Thursday, January 16, 2025
Time: Full day
Place: On-site seminar @ Sataman Viilu, Satamakatu 10, Jyväskylä (Finland)

You can read about the workshop here: BOOST 2025 blog

We are very grateful to our sponsor, the Finnish Foundation for Economic Education (LSR).

Speakers

BOOST - Building Outstanding Opportunities for Sustained Growth and Transformation

Contact information

Add to calendar

BOOST - Call for Papers

Important information

Past Workshops