Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Five to six years
Fully funded
London, UK
Influence policy and practice by working at the interface of science, engineering and business management
The research areas of Innovation and Entrepreneurship sit within the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship. Faculty and students in these fields undertake research into the innovation and entrepreneurship process, from identifying pockets of original knowledge in the search for ideas, to the diffusion and entrepreneurial exploitation of new products, processes and services.
Faculty members are particularly interested in the core themes of spotting and leveraging entrepreneurial opportunities; managing the innovation process; building and operating entrepreneurial ecosystems; the role of networks in innovation and entrepreneurship; the impact of corporate entrepreneurship on organisational innovation; and commercialising science innovations.
You may also be co-supervised by faculty in other departments in the School, depending on your research interests.

Research centres and partnerships
The Business School is home to several research centres and institutes, offering a diverse range of activities that bring together academics and specialists.

Digital City Exchange
A five-year Digital Economy multi-disciplinary research programme at Imperial College London focussing on the planning and use of cities to allow for new technical and business opportunities.

Centre for Digital Transformation
The Centre for Digital Transformation helps businesses understand the far-reaching organisational implications of the digital revolution. From artificial intelligence (AI) to the Internet of Things to blockchain, the Centre’s work focuses on new and emerging digital technologies, and how they can be leveraged to meet both business and social objectives.

Gandhi Centre for Inclusive Innovation
Linking innovation and entrepreneurship in companies and institutions globally, through thought leadership, research, technology and next-generation innovation models.

Teaching experience
PhD students on the Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) scholarship will undertake 150 hours of teaching assistant duties from year three of the programme. There will be opportunities for PhD students to engage in teaching activities within the Business School’s programmes such as MSc Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Management as well as on our MBA, which offers a unique focus on innovation through elective courses and the Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Design project.
Doctoral theses in Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Name |
Thesis |
Supervisor |
Elizaveta Portz |
Entrepreneurial Resource Acquisition in Startup Accelerators |
Dr Anne Ter Wal and Dr Ileana Stigliani |
Marine Mograbyan |
New Venture Internationalisation in the Digital Age |
Professor Erkko Autio and Dr Jan Ross |
Ahmet Yildirim |
Management of Ecosystem Evolution: The Effect of Macro and Micro Influencers on a Firm's Ecosystem Management Activities |
Professor Bart Clarysse and Professor Mike Wright |
Meet your faculty
Our PhD programme fosters close collaboration between leading Innovation & Entrepreneurship faculty and doctoral students, developing their research interests and providing continuous support and guidance throughout the programme.


Celia Moore

Markus Perkmann

Christopher Tucci



Mark Kennedy
