II 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 related to SMEs and territorial development processes.

The colloquium is a reflection and interaction space between researchers and PhD and Master's students (academic) for discussing thesis proposals in Management, Economics and other social sciences interested in local development and SMEs. The general objective of the event is to promote and disseminate research, contribute to the development of research capacities, and strengthen community and institutional cooperation.

The event foresees three meetings; two will be virtual, and the last will be in person, as a pre-conference event of the XXVIII Red PYMEs Conference (Cordoba, Argentina). The virtual meetings 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. Additionally, the colloquium will include a round table with experts on the field.

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.
The number of participants will be a maximum of 18 people.
Each presentation will receive feedback from a junior discussant (a fellow participant) and a senior discussant (the mentors).

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:
o Territorial development
o Management and development of SMEs
o Organisation of work in SMEs
o Innovation in SMEs
o Entrepreneurs and start-ups
o Public policies for entrepreneurs and SMEs
o Regional innovation systems, clusters and entrepreneurial ecosystems
o Digital transformation in SMEs
o Studies with a gender perspective on SMEs and entrepreneurs
o STI policies
o Studies on sustainability and environmental management in SMEs and entrepreneurs

• Submissions must be based on one of the following options:

a. Early stage: please, include in your submission:

o Name of the master/doctoral program and institution
o Abstract (500 words) and key words
o PDF document including:
I. Motivation (approx. 2 pages)
Justification. Definition of the research question and the main objective. The expected contribution of the study (originality and relevance).

II. 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.

III. References (APA format)

b. Advance: please, include in your submission:

o Name of the master/doctoral program and institution
o Abstract (500 words) and key words
o PDF document including:

I. Motivation (approx. 2 pages)
Justification. Definition of the research question and the main objective. The expected contribution of the study (originality and relevance).

II. 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.

III. 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.

IV. References (APA format)

Submissions could be in Spanish, English or Portuguese.

Important dates:

· May 15: Registration Open
· NEW DEADLINE – July 10th Submission and funding application deadline
· July 28: Notification on acceptance and funding via email
· September (TBC): First Virtual Meeting. (Participants will receive further instructions via email).
· September 26-28: II Mercosur SME Network Research Colloquium for PhD and Master's students (Cordoba, Argentina)

Preliminary program in Cordoba (Argentina):

• September 26: Welcome and methodological workshop

                                Methodological workshop: Andrea Rivero
                                                                  Big data and machine learning: Rodrigo Kataishi

• September 27: Parallel sessions
• September 28: Workshop and closing session.

                                                                      Panel with editors: Daniela Cala, Guillermo Dabos, Renato Garcia and                                             Hernan Moreno

Please, visit the website to find out more info: https://bit.ly/coloquio-redpymes

YSI- INET will eventually provide partially financial support for selected participants based in Mercosur region. If you are considering applying for partial YSI funding, please include a short statement supporting your request (~250 words). YSI will cover accommodation in shared apartments or shared hotel rooms for selected participants. Partial travel support can be offered for selected participants depending on funds availability. Participation in the colloquium is free.
Participants also are encouraged to attend the main conference from the 27-29th of September 28° Reunión Anual Red Pymes Mercosur.
Please note that it requires a separate registration, YSI does not cover any eventual conference fees but Red Pymes Mercosur offers special rate for the participants. More information on Red PYMEs Mercosur 2023 is available on the conference homepage: http://redpymes.org.ar/28-reunion-anual-red-pymes-mercosur/.

The program is out! Have a look at https://bit.ly/coloquio-redpymes

YSI Working Group: Urban and Regional Economics
Organisers: Andrea Belmartino and Rodrigo Kataishi

Partner Organisations: Red Pymes Mercosur, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires.
Organisers: Juan Federico, Hernan Morero, Andrea Rivero and Florencia Fiorentin