FGF Doctoral Program

The English-language Doctoral Program is aimed at early-career researchers and provides a solid introduction to academic research, scholarly writing, and publication practices in the fields of entrepreneurship, innovation, SMEs, family business, and related disciplines.

The program is specifically designed for doctoral students in the early stages of their PhD (first or second year). However, more advanced doctoral candidates will also benefit from the opportunity to learn from a diverse group of professors and researchers and to engage in professional exchange within a supportive and trusting environment. Participants not only deepen their academic knowledge but also build a valuable network with fellow doctoral students from across the DACH region. Additionally, they have the opportunity to present their own research projects and further develop them through constructive feedback.

The program includes several online course sessions and concludes with a two-day in-person workshop at the “Sparkassenhaus” in Bonn, made possible by the generous support of the “Stiftung für die Wissenschaft der Sparkassen Finanzgruppe”.

Following the success of previous years under the title “How to successfully design, craft and publish entrepreneurship, family business and innovation research”, the continuation of the FGF Doctoral Workshop is firmly planned for the coming years.

Program details about the Class of 2026 can be found here.

The FGF Doctoral Program has already taken place in the following years:

Some of our previous participants – Pascal Janser, Mukunthan Nadarajah, and Johanna Slowik – shared insights from their experiences in the program:

Pascal Janser: „Das FGF Doctoral Program hat mir nicht nur gezeigt, wie man Forschung erfolgreich gestaltet und publiziert, sondern mir auch wertvolles Feedback für meine Dissertation gegeben und mein akademisches Netzwerk deutlich erweitert. Der inspirierende Austausch mit renommierten Professor:innen und engagierten Doktorand:innen aus dem gesamten DACH-Raum war für mich eine Quelle neuer Ideen und nachhaltiger Motivation.“

Mukunthan Nadarajah: „Das Seminar war wirklich hilfreich, um in die Forschungswelt einzutauchen und einen umfassenden Überblick über verschiedene Methoden, Theorien und Publikationen zu erhalten. Man merkt schnell, was man noch nicht weiß, und gewinnt so einen super Einstieg in die Entrepreneurship-Forschung. Besonders am Anfang sehr empfehlenswert.“

Johanna Slowik: “The FGF Doctoral Program demystified the publishing process and provided me with concrete tools to advance my research. The expert-led sessions on research design, academic writing, and managing revisions were particularly valuable. I especially appreciated the sense of community among fellow doctoral researchers, which made the experience both supportive and inspiring. The combination of online sessions and in-person interactions created an engaging and well-balanced learning environment.”