The future of entrepreneurial ecosystems research: Toward a policy-oriented research agenda

Entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) research has contributed to reshaping entrepreneurial policy and practice. Despite significant translational efforts, the gap between theory and actionable policy seems to be widening. This paper adopts a collaborative approach and critically reflects on the alignment of EE research with practical policy needs, structured around an interactive round-robin brainstorming with 58 EE scholars (i.e., 12 authors and 46 additional experts). We examine policy adoption in the context of EE, discussing the challenges and evolution of research methods, data, and theory. We propose a future policy-oriented research agenda, validated and prioritized by European policymakers, to ensure that EE research effectively informs entrepreneurship policy. • Focuses on entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) research to inform policymaking. • Reflects on the past, present, and future of policy-oriented EE research. • Utilizes a collaborative research design (round-robin brainstorming). • Leverages the knowledge of 58 EE researchers. • Proposes a validated policy-oriented EE research agenda.