Young Scholars’ Academy on SMEs and Territorial Development

Red Pymes Mercosur Conference gathers researchers from MERCOSUR countries engaged in development studies, focused on SMEs, according to regional specificities. The conference has a strong territorial focus and more than 25 years of experience. It is characterised by being a space of knowledge generation and a permanent link between SMEs' reality and their environment. In addition, the interdisciplinary and critical perspectives are highly appreciated within the Red Pymes Mercosur.
In the 2019 edition, the Conference was complemented with a pre-conference academy organised jointly by LALICS, YSI-INET, and Red PYMEs. In this edition, will be held also a pre-conference academy that targets Young Scholars interested in current problems that are crucial for SMEs and the territorial development process.
The YSI – Red PYMEs academy aims to gather a highly motivated group of Master and PhD Students in Management, Applied Economics or related fields to present their research, exchange experiences and receive feedback from their peers and well-known senior scholars. The senior scholars will participate in the workshop both as speakers and mentors.
The main objective is to generate a space for discussion of thesis proposals, to promote and disseminate research advances in related topics, contribute to the development of research capacities and strengthen the community and institutional cooperation.

The event foresees three meetings, two of them will be virtual and the last one will be in person, as a pre-conference event of the XXVII Red PYMEs Conference (Bariloche, Argentina). The virtual meetings will include a methodological workshop, designed to help students enrich their research proposals. Finally, in the face-to-face session the participants will present their proposals and discuss it with peers and senior scholars.

The workshop is focused on Master's and Ph.D. students from the Mercosur region, in the field of management, regional economics, innovation, and related fields relevant to SMEs studies and the territorial development process.
The number of participants will be a maximum of 18 young scholars.
Each presentation is followed by short comments of a junior discussant (another participant) and in-depth feedback by a senior discussant (the mentors).

To apply for the workshop, we invite interested Master's and PhD students to submit a PDF file with a complete version of the research proposal (15 pages max., including a ~500 words abstract, introduction, literature, method, expected/preliminary results). Submissions could be either in Spanish, English or Portuguese. . Studies following either a qualitative or a quantitative approach are welcome. The research should be focused on MERCOSUR issues and topics should be related to, but not limited to:

• Territorial development
• Management and organisations
• Work organisation in SMEs
• Innovation in SMEs
• Entrepreneurs
• Pubic policies for SMEs
• Regional innovation systems, clusters and industrial districts
• Digital Transformation in SMEs
• Environmental Sustainability

Additionally, if you would like to be considered for the YSI funding, please prepare a short statement (~250 words in spanish, portuguese or english) which explains your motivation behind your application and why you require funding to attend. YSI funding contains a travel stipend based on individual needs and two nights of accommodation (20th – 21th of September 2022) in a shared room in a hotel close to the workshop venue. Participation in the workshop is free.
Workshop participants also are encouraged to attend the main conference from 21th to 23th of September if they are interested. However, please note that attending and/or presenting at the conference requires a separate submission and registration, and the YSI does not cover any eventual conference fees. More information on Red PYMEs Mercosur Conference is available on the conference homepage.

Instructions and important dates:

· May 27: Registration Open
· July 11: Abstract and a complete version of the research proposal. Submission and funding application deadline
· August 16: Notification on acceptance and funding via email
· August 26: First Virtual Meeting. (Accepted participants will receive further instructions via email).
· September 9: Second Virtual Meeting.
· September 21: Young Scholars’ Academy on SMEs and Territorial Development in Bariloche (Río Negro, Argentina)

YSI Working Group: Urban and Regional Economics
Organisers: Andrea Belmartino and Mariela Cattaroli

Partner Organisations: Red Pymes Mercosur, Universidad Nacional de Rio Negro, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires.
Organisers: Juan Federico, Andres Niembro and Andrea Rivero

Please contact us:
mariela.carattoli@econ.unicen.edu.ar
rivero@econ.unicen.edu.ar
andrea.belmartino@gssi.it