Paul Steffens

Professor Paul Steffens

Professor in Entrepreneurship

Adelaide Business School

Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


Professor Paul Steffens is Director of Entrepreneurship at the ECIC, The University of Adelaide. His core areas of research are start-up processes and firm growth. Paul has been a lead investigator for research projects totalling more than AUD 1.5 million and has published over fifty academic publications, including journal articles in leading entrepreneurship, marketing and technology management journals.

Previous appointments include Director of the Technology and Innovation Management Centre, University of Queensland, academic positions at University of Queensland and Monash University and visiting positions at University of Kiel, Penn State University and Southern Illinois University. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours I) and a PhD in diffusion of innovations, both from the University of Queensland.

Paul has also consulted for a wide variety of both business and public agencies. His clients include Energex, Waitrose (UK), Agribuys (USA), IPAA, Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Monsanto, Bunge, Franklins, Solutions Research and the Meat Research Corporation.

I am passionate about the key role entrepreneurship and innovation play in driving economic growth, their potential to assist disadvantaged groups in our society and the ability to deliver personal gratification and wellbeing to individuals. Entrepreneurship and innovation is of vital importance to national competitiveness and understanding key management challenges is critical to improve Australia’s performance. With 10.5% of Australia’s population, or 1.48 million Australians engaged in starting a new business, effective entrepreneurship is also a critical ingredient to economic development. Additionally, entrepreneurship offers key social benefits by providing employment opportunities to those with few other options as well as graduates seeking alternative career pathways.

My current research is focused on several streams of research:

  • Resource development of nascent and young ventures
  • Bricolage and resourcefulness
  • Volitional control and action orientation
  • Hybrid entrepreneurship
  • Youth entrepreneurship
  • Senior entrepreneurship
  • Immigrant entrepreneurship
  • Overcoming organizational inertia from discontinuous innovation
  • Diffusion of innovation

 

 

 

A. Category 1 Research Grants: Total $1,688,000

ARC Discovery

What Facilitates or Hinders the Discovery and Exploitation of Entrepreneurial Opportunities? A Comparison of the Independent and Corporate Contexts

Henri Burgers, Per Davidsson, Paul Steffens

2010-2012

$127,000

ARC Linkage

Firm Early Development and Performance (FEDP): A Panel Study

Per Davidsson, Paul Steffens, Jason Fitzsimmons, Siri Terjesen

ARC $263k; NAB & BDO Kendalls $190k

2007-2010

$453,000

ARC Discovery

CAUSEE: Comprehensive Australian Study of Entrepreneurial Emergence

Per Davidsson, Paul Steffens

2006-2009

$455,000

ARC SPIRT

Institutionalisation of purchaser-provider models in Agricultural RD&E: Gateways or Shackles?  Art Shulman, Drew Wollin, Paul Steffens.

ARC $221,000; Queensland Department of Primary Industries $432,000

1998-2000

$653,000

B. Other Research Grants: Total over $500,000

Department of Industry, Innovation & Science

Business Creation in Australia

Per Davidsson, Paul Steffens, Scott Gordon.

2015

$25,000

Department of Industry ($100k) & QUT Business School ($200k)

Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015

 Paul Steffens

2010-2015

$300,000

Department of Innovation and Industry (DIISRTE)

Business Creation in Australia

Per Davidsson, Paul Steffens, Scott Gordon.

2013

$50,000

Department of Innovation and Industry (DIISRTE)

Fifth wave of CAUSEE project

Per Davidsson and Paul Steffens.

2012

$100,000

Institute Of Public Administration Australia

Capitalising on Intellect: Public Sector Management of Intellectual Property

Paul Steffens, Art Shulman, Dr Michael Waterhouse and Dr Drew Wollin.

2001

$75,000

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2022 Co-Supervisor Understanding the nature of Acquired Optimism, its antecedents and its consequences on the Entrepreneurs in the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Jyoti Khisha
    2022 Co-Supervisor Bounded rationality in crowdfunding: investigating heuristics in investors' decision making. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Henry Tue Le
    2022 Principal Supervisor Entrepreneurs' Emotion Shifts, Emotion Labor and Outcomes Doctor of Philosophy under a Jointly-awarded Degree Agreement with Doctorate Full Time Ms Yudi Hou
    2020 Principal Supervisor Influence of Entrepreneurs’ self-esteem on the temporal processes of post-venture emotional response, sense-making and venturing behaviour Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr Dinusha Costa
  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2020 - 2023 Principal Supervisor ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM WELL-BEING Unpacking the multilevel, multidimensional, and configurational nature of entrepreneurial ecosystem health Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Iulia Stroila
    2018 - 2021 Principal Supervisor Opportunity Attitude – Extending Entrepreneurial Opportunity Evaluation Beyond Cognition Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Binyam Zewde Alemayehu
  • Editorial Boards

    Date Role Editorial Board Name Institution Country
    2010 - ongoing Board Member Journal of Business Venturing - -
  • Position: Professor in Entrepreneurship
  • Phone: 83132937
  • Email: paul.steffens@adelaide.edu.au
  • Fax: 83137512
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: Nexus 10, floor 9
  • Org Unit: Entrepreneurship, Commercialisation, and Innovation Centre

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