The GEM Moscow team of the HSE organized the
first students’ Research Summer School “Entrepreneurship:
Theory and Practice in Russia” (August, 26-31). In Golitsyno near Moscow a
group of 28 students from a number of Russian Universities and representing a
wide range of young entrepreneurship researchers – from BA to PhD – upgraded
their skills in analyzing entrepreneurship, methods of its investigation and
completing arguments in favour of an adequate state policy amongst other
activities.
The tasks of the Summer school were to:
·
Train research skills (among students from different disciplines –
Economics, Management, Sociology, Business-Informatics, Law etc. – delivering
small project based presentations summing up their previous efforts in
Entrepreneurship research)
·
Train skills in team-working (students were divided into three big
workshops, preparing their individual inputs for the final group presentation)
·
Add some knowledge on Entrepreneurship theory and development of private
entrepreneurship in Russia (lectures, master-classes, round tables of invited
guests)
·
Check the state of Entrepreneurship research at different Universities
in Russia and benchmark some centers of excellence (HSE, Academy of Finance
etc.)
·
Prove the demand in a new multidisciplinary MS in ‘Complex Analysis of
Entrepreneurship”.
From 100 applications, 30 were supported due to
the decision of the HSE to promote a series of summer schools, among them – one
on Entrepreneurship. Students came not only from Moscow and St. Petersburg, but
also from Urals and Far Eastern regions of Russia.
Members of the GEM Moscow team prepared an
attractive agenda combining lectures, individual presentations of students and
workshops on three major topics: GEM, Entrepreneurship development in Russia
regions, Entrepreneurship – firm – innovations. Most distinguished Russian
researchers and representatives of the SME financial infrastructure
organizations delivered excellent overviews on Entrepreneurship theory in the
world, Statistical Methods in Entrepreneurship research (Ass. Prof. Olga
Obraztsova), Gazelles in Russia (Prof. Andrew Yudanov), Micro-financing of
Entrepreneurial Start-ups in the World and in Russia (Mikhail Mamuta), Dilemmas
of Anti-Crisis Policy of Russian State and SME (Dr. Yuri Simachev), Antitrust
Policy and its Impact on Competition (Prof. Svetlana Avdasheva), Recent Trends
in Corporate Governance in Russian Big Business (Dr. Andrew Yakovlev) etc.
Prof. Pia Arenius (Turku School of Economics,
GEM team Finland) gave a comprehensive overview of GEM methodology and
possibilities of research based on the GEM data and was co-chair of one of the
workshops, focused on GEM 2009 data mastering, giving comments on students
presentations and papers.
“It was very interesting to work with the
students on analyzing how the economics crisis has impacted entrepreneurial
activity in Russia. During the summer school, we worked on developing the
analytical and presentational skills of the students. It was very rewarding to
me as a teacher to notice how committed students were to develop their skills.
I also learned a lot about entrepreneurship in Russia.”
All in all, the School was a big success,
students were very active both during the lectures and in group workshops,
their general understanding of what is going on in the sphere of
entrepreneurship in a Russia under crisis became much deeper and multifaceted.
GEM Russia’s Moscow
team is seeking partners with whom to organize forthcoming Summer Schools in
2010 and furthermore on bilateral or even international level to promote chains
of a new cohort of Entrepreneurship researchers.
Alexander Chepurenko,
Head of the Summer
school