2026 Diana International Research Conference

Babson College DIRI & Gordon Institute of Business Science Present the:

2026 Diana International Research Conference

Submissions Due: December 9, 2025

We are pleased to announce that the 2026 Diana International Research Conference will be held at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa from June 26–29, 2026, with the theme:

Transforming Futures:  Women and Social Entrepreneurship in a Digital Age

Social entrepreneurship is a powerful pathway for women to shape the future, harnessing innovation while critically engaging with the social, ethical, climate and cultural dimensions of technological change. Rapid technological transformation, marked by the AI and digital revolution, enables social entrepreneurs and social mission-driven ventures to leverage new tools and platforms to expand opportunities, pursue innovations, and reduce barriers to solving social problems in education, employment, the environment, climate and healthcare. By bringing together scholars, practitioners, and policymakers, we aim to generate knowledge and dialogue that will illuminate how women social entrepreneurs are transforming futures in a digitally interconnected world.

More specifically, invited topics may include but are not restricted to:

  • Social entrepreneurship and digitalization: opportunities and challenges with innovation, technology, and AI; ways that women are leveraging AI to address grand societal challenges.
  • Theories of women’s entrepreneurial activity: how do context-specific phenomena influence women’s social entrepreneurial activity? What are the limits of Western-centered entrepreneurship theory and Western-feminism for the African or Global South context?
  • Inclusive ecosystems: the role of entrepreneurial ecosystems, networks, and institutions in enabling or constraining women, especially young women social entrepreneurs; the influences of finance and investment, policy, law and governance.
  • Women as beneficiaries of social enterprises: the impact of institutions, policies and practices on their launch, start-up and growth of new social ventures, especially among young women in the Global South.

We encourage papers that explore new research ideas, adopt novel methodological approaches and contribute to theory development to help advance the field and pave the way for an exciting future research agenda for the Diana community. Authors are limited to authoring/co-authoring no more than two submissions and should expect to receive notification of acceptance by March 1, 2026. Full papers are due by April 20, 2026 and will be considered for “Best Paper Awards.”

About the Diana International Research Conference

Each year, the Diana International Research Conference brings together more than 100 scholars worldwide, providing a forum to share global research dedicated to gender and women’s entrepreneurship. Building on the foundation of excellence established by the Diana Project™, the Diana International Research Institute (DIRI) continues to cultivate a vibrant international research community with an expanded reach across continents, cultures and contexts, sharing knowledge and experience through dedicated books, journal articles and conferences. The Diana Project was established in 1999 by Professors Brush, Carter, Gatewood, Greene and Hart in partnership with ESBRI in Stockholm to provide a platform for research and scholarship focusing on women entrepreneurs and their business growth. 

For questions about the conference, please contact us at dirc@babson.edu

2026 Conference Chairs

  • Candida Brush, Babson College, U.S.
  • Amanda Elam, Babson College, U.S.
  • Diana Hechavarria, Babson College, U.S.
  • Anastacia Mamabolo, GIBS, University of Pretoria
  • Caren Scheepers, GIBS, University of Pretoria
  • Ethne Swartz, Feliciano School of Business, Montclair State University

Editorial Review Board

  • Haya Al-Dajani MBSC, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
  • Gry Alsos, Nord University, Norway
  • Anne de Bruin, University of Auckland, New Zealand
  • José Ernesto Amorós Espinosa, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
  • Karen Hughes, University of Alberta, Canada
  • Natanya Meyer, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

Conference Sponsors

Frank & Eileen Center for Women's Entrepreneurship
International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship | Emerald Publishing
Gordon Institute of Business Science
Key Dates
December 9, 2025 Abstract Submissions Due 11:59 p.m. ET
March 16, 2026 Notification of Decision Sent to Authors
April 1, 2025 Registration Opens
April 10, 2026 Doctoral Symposium Applications Due
April 20, 2026 Full Paper Submissions Due
June 26–29, 2026 Conference at GIBS, University of Pretoria
June 26, 2026 Doctoral Symposium and Welcome Reception
June 27–28, 2026 Academic Research Conference
June 29, 2026 Impact Day (Open to Public)

Thinking of Attending? Hear from our 2024 Participants!

Diana International Research Conferences began with the establishment of the Diana Project™ in 1999 by five professors—Candida Brush, Nancy Carter, Elizabeth Gatewood, Patricia Green, Myra Hart—to accelerate research about women entrepreneurs, their business growth, and access to capital. In partnership with ESBRI, the first conference was held in Stockholm, Sweden in 2003 with 20 scholars from 13 countries. Since then, the conferences have grown to be a major global forum for research on women's entrepreneurship, producing numerous books and special journal issues.

  • 1999: The Diana Project is founded by Professors Brush, Carter, Gatewood, Greene, and Hart to focus on women's entrepreneurship, initially highlighting challenges in accessing growth capital.
  • 2003: The first Diana International Research Conference is held in Stockholm, Sweden, with 20 scholars from 13 countries presenting their research.
  • 2003–2019: The conferences become a bi-annual and later an annual event, held in different countries and focusing on various themes related to women's entrepreneurship.
  • 2019: The conference is held at Babson College in Wellesley, MA, and the first Diana International Research Institute Impact Day is convened to focus on practical solutions for financing women entrepreneurs.
  • Ongoing: The conferences have built a global research community and legitimized the field of women's entrepreneurship, supported by ongoing publications and academic partnerships
Year Conference Title Location Co-Chairs
2003 Diana International Organizing Conference Stockholm, Sweden Diana Founders & Magnus Aronsson
2003 Diana International Organizing Conference Stockholm, Sweden Diana Founders & Magnus Aronsson
2004 Diana International Conference Stockholm, Sweden Diana Founders & Magnus Aronsson
2006 Diana International Conference Stockholm, Sweden Magnus Aronsson
2007 Diana International Conference Madrid, Spain Candida Brush & Anne de Bruin
2008 Advancing Women’s Entrepreneurship and Supporting the Growth of Women Owned Businesses Belfast, Ireland Colette Henry & Pauric McGowan
2010 Extending Women’s Entrepreneurship Scholarship in New Directions Banff, Canada Karen Hughes & Jennifer Jennings
2012 Women Entrepreneurs in the 21st Century Perth, Western Australia Alicia Castillo & John Watson
2014 Women’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Global Economy Stockholm, Sweden Magnus Aronsson, Friederike Welter & Colette Henry
2015 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and Women’s Entrepreneurship Wellesley, Massachusetts, U.S.A. Candida Brush
2016 Women Entrepreneurs and Technology; Women in Family Business Bodo, Norway Gry Alsos & Elisabet Ljunggren
2017 Women Entrepreneurs in High Growth Businesses: Programs, Practices and Policies (Oct) Kansas City, Missouri Candida Brush, Patti Greene, Amanda Bullough & Diana Hechavarria
2018 Women’s Entrepreneurship and Culture Bangkok, Thailand Uli Guelich, Amanda Bullough & Friederike Welter
2019 Women’s Entrepreneurship: Catalyzing Change and Innovation Wellesley, Massachusetts, U.S.A. Candida Brush, Lakshmi Balachandra, Angela Randolph & Amanda Elam
2021 Women and Family Entrepreneurship Nice, France (on-line) Andrea Calabro, Severine Leolarne, Adnane Maalaoui, Candida Brush & Smaiyra Million
2022 Digital Women’s Entrepreneurship Dublin, Ireland Maura McAdam, Regina Connolly, Candida Brush & Karen Hughes
2023 Exploring Diversity of Experiences and Impact Wellesley, MA, USA Candida Brush, William Gartner, Karen Hughes, Amanda Elam and Anita Shankar
2024 Women’s Entrepreneurship: Implications for Policy Stockholm, Sweden Candida Brush, Amanda Elam, Magnus Aronsson, Malin Malmstrom, Christine Woods, Friederike Welter
2025 Entrepreneurship at the Edge: Extending the Boundaries of Gender and Entrepreneurship Auckland, New Zealand Candida Brush, Amanda Elam, Diana Hechavarria, Christine Woods, Janine Swail, Anne de Bruin

The Diana International Research Conference has resulted in numerous publications, including at least 13 special issues of academic journals and 12 edited volumes dedicated to gender and women's entrepreneurship.

Key journals and examples of special issues include:

  • Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice: Multiple special issues have been published, including issues in 2006, 2007 (edited by de Bruin, Brush, and Welter), and 2012 (edited by Hughes & Jennings). The 2007 issue has over 4,000 citations.
  • Small Business Economics: A special issue on women entrepreneurs and ecosystems was published in 2018 (edited by Edelman, Manolova, Brush, and Welter).
  • Entrepreneurship and Regional Development: A special issue was published in 2012 (edited by Cooper and McGowan).
  • Journal of Small Business Management: A special issue focusing on high-growth women's entrepreneurship was released in January 2019.
  • Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal: A special issue titled “Catalyzing Change and Innovation in Women's Entrepreneurship” was forthcoming in 2021 (co-edited by Brush, Eddleston, Edelman, Manolova, McAdam, and Rossi).
  • Venture Capital: An International Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance: A 2018 issue on the theme “Women Entrepreneurs and Finance” was a notable outcome, with high article view counts. An earlier special issue (Volume 5, Issue 1) in 2003 also featured articles from the Diana Project.
  • The Diana Project also led to the vision for the creation of the International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship.

These publications are a significant legacy of the Diana Project, advancing research and theory on gender in entrepreneurship.