Admission
Sustainable Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Hubs as Orchestrators of Green Startup Development: Coordination, Resource Mobilisation and Scaling of Sustainable Innovation

    Eligibility: International graduates from AACSB accredited business school with the required entry requirements
    Duration: Full-Time – between three and four years fixed term
    Application deadline: 28 April 2026
    Interview date: Will be confirmed for shortlisted candidates
    Start date: August 2026

    For further details contact: Prof. Wawan Dhewanto, Ph. D (Institut Teknologi Bandung) and Dr. Folajimi Ashiru (Coventry University)

    Introduction

    Sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems are increasingly recognised as critical drivers of green innovation and sustainable economic development. Within these ecosystems, specialised hubs, including incubators, accelerators, and innovation centres, play a central role in coordinating actors, mobilising resources, and facilitating collaboration between startups, investors, governments, and research institutions. However, the mechanisms through which ecosystem hubs orchestrate the emergence, growth, and scaling of green startups remain underexplored.

    This research investigates how ecosystem hubs function as orchestrators of sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems, enabling green startups to access resources, develop capabilities, and scale innovation. The study will examine coordination mechanisms, digital platforms, financial access, and policy interactions that support green startup development in emerging economies. The findings will provide new theoretical and practical insights into how ecosystem hubs accelerate sustainable innovation and contribute to broader sustainability and SDG-oriented development.

    The urgency of addressing climate change and advancing sustainable development has positioned entrepreneurship as a central mechanism for driving transformative innovation. In particular, green startups have emerged as key actors in delivering solutions across renewable energy, circular economy, sustainable agriculture, and climate technologies. However, despite their potential, these ventures often encounter systemic barriers, including fragmented support systems, limited access to finance, technological uncertainty, and regulatory constraints.

    In response, the concept of sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems has gained prominence as a framework for understanding how multiple actors—startups, investors, universities, governments, and intermediaries—interact to enable innovation and value creation. Within these ecosystems, ecosystem hubs have increasingly been recognized as critical orchestrators that help manage complexity and align stakeholders toward shared sustainability goals.

    Ecosystem hubs serve as innovation intermediaries, facilitating coordination, improving access to resources, and fostering collaboration among ecosystem actors. By streamlining access to knowledge, finance, and infrastructure, these hubs enable entrepreneurs to focus on innovation and business development. They also support capability-building through mentorship, workshops, and access to experimentation environments such as living labs, helping startups reduce uncertainty and validate their solutions.

    In addition, ecosystem hubs play an important institutional role by connecting startups with policymakers, enabling regulatory experimentation, and supporting more conducive policy environments. Beyond local ecosystems, they can facilitate cross-sector and cross-regional linkages, supporting the scaling of startups and the diffusion of sustainable practices.

    Despite their growing importance, there remains a limited understanding of how ecosystem hubs effectively orchestrate sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems and which mechanisms are most critical in driving startup development and sustainability outcomes. This research aims to examine the role of Sustainable Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Hubs (SEEHs) in enabling green startup growth, scaling, and broader sustainability transitions.

    • Project details

      The PhD student will conduct theoretical and empirical research on the role of ecosystem hubs in orchestrating sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems and the role of Sustainable Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Hubs (SEEHs) in supporting the development of green startups within sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems. Possible research directions include:

      • Ecosystem hubs act as intermediaries that coordinate relationships among startups, investors, policymakers, and knowledge institutions within sustainable innovation ecosystems.
      • Green startups face unique challenges related to financing, technology development, regulatory uncertainty, and market access, which require coordinated ecosystem support.
      • Digital platforms and innovation intermediaries increasingly facilitate knowledge sharing, resource mobilisation, and collaboration within entrepreneurial ecosystems.
      • Institutional and policy environments shape the effectiveness of ecosystem hubs in supporting green startup growth and scaling.
      • There is a need to better understand how ecosystem hubs enable sustainable innovation and contribute to broader societal goals such as climate transition, sustainable development, and inclusive economic growth.

      Sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems involve complex interactions among diverse actors with differing incentives, resources, and institutional conditions. Within this context, ecosystem hubs are increasingly seen as enabling entities that help reduce fragmentation, facilitate interactions, and improve the overall functioning of the ecosystem.

      Given the structural challenges faced by green startups—particularly in accessing finance, knowledge, and markets—ecosystem hubs may play a significant role in supporting entrepreneurial development. They can contribute by improving connectivity among actors, facilitating access to critical resources, and supporting knowledge exchange and collaboration. However, the effectiveness of these roles varies across sectors and institutional contexts and remains insufficiently understood.

      Ecosystem hubs may also support startup development through a range of mechanisms, including capability-building initiatives, access to experimentation and validation environments, and engagement with policy and regulatory processes. These mechanisms may help reduce uncertainty and improve the readiness of startups for market entry and scaling, although their impact is likely to be context-dependent.

      In addition, ecosystem hubs may contribute to broader outcomes such as cross-sector collaboration, ecosystem integration, and the promotion of sustainability-oriented practices. At the same time, challenges remain, including differences in governance structures, uneven resource distribution, and tensions between economic and sustainability objectives. These challenges highlight the need for a more nuanced and context-sensitive understanding of how ecosystem hubs operate and generate impact.

      This research may explore several application domains in which ecosystem hubs play a role in enabling green startup development:

      • Urban sustainability and circular economy ecosystems, where hubs facilitate collaboration among public, private, and community actors to address challenges such as waste management, mobility, and resource efficiency.
      • Agri-food and sustainable food systems, where hubs support coordination across fragmented value chains and enable circular practices and resilience in food production and distribution.
      • Energy and climate technology ecosystems, where hubs help connect startups with infrastructure, partners, and markets, supporting the commercialization and scaling of climate solutions.
      • Health and sustainability-oriented innovation ecosystems, where hubs support innovation under complex regulatory and ethical conditions, particularly in improving resource efficiency and access to services.

      The project may involve mixed methods research including ecosystem mapping, case studies of ecosystem hubs, stakeholder interviews, and policy analysis.

      Funding
      Tuition fees and bursary from LPDP, PDDI or potentially SBM ITB/Coventry University (separate application).

      Benefits
      The successful candidate will receive comprehensive research training including technical, personal, and professional skills. All researchers at SBM ITB & Coventry University (from PhD to Professor) are part of the Doctoral and Researcher College, which provides support with high-quality training and career development activities.

      Entry requirements

      • A minimum of a 2:1 first degree in a relevant discipline/subject area with a minimum 60 overall module average.

      PLUS

      • The potential to engage in innovative research and to complete the PhD within 3-4 years.
      • A minimum of English language proficiency (IELTS academic overall minimum score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each component).

      Additional Requirements

      Applicants should hold a strong master’s degree in entrepreneurship, business and management, management science, business administration, innovation management, sustainability studies, industrial engineering, economics, or related discipline. A relevant academic and professional background may include:

      • Entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems
      • Business model innovation and strategy
      • Sustainable entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial ecosystems
      • Sustainable development and green innovation
      • Industrial ecology and sustainable supply chains
      • Circular economy and sustainability transitions
      • Digital entrepreneurship and platform ecosystems
      • Public policy and economic development
      • Data analysis, modeling, and ecosystem mapping.
      • Quantitative and qualitative (mixed) methods research experience.

      Prior exposure to research or practical experience related to innovation systems, startup ecosystems, or sustainability-oriented initiatives will be considered an advantage.

      The ideal candidate will be motivated, interested in sustainability and entrepreneurship, analytically oriented, and committed to interdisciplinary research on innovation ecosystems and sustainable development. A strong interest in sustainable innovation, green startup development, and the transformation of entrepreneurial ecosystems toward more resource-efficient, inclusive, and resilient models is essential. The candidate is also expected to demonstrate critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to engage with both theoretical and empirical research.

      For more information on the application requirements for ITB, click here, and for Coventry University, click here.

      Please contact for informal inquiries: Prof. Wawan Dhewanto, Ph. D (Institut Teknologi Bandung) and Dr. Folajimi Ashiru (Coventry University)