Originally from the Netherlands, Stijn moved to Gothenburg four years ago to obtain his Master’s degree. He did not know then, that he would stay in Sweden and pursue a career as a PhD student. He now enjoys doing research in a topic that aligns with his personal interests, together with the flexibility and responsibility that being a PhD student offers him.
What is your PhD research project about?
I’m studying innovative entrepreneurship in the context of SportsTech, specifically investigating how entrepreneurs experiment to develop a technological innovation they are working on. I do so from a perspective of how knowledge is created, used, and recombined in various forms and through various interactions with actors from the ecosystem. SportsTech is an exciting context for this because there is a lot of innovation and entrepreneurship taking place, and many different actors play a role.
Why did you decide to pursue a PhD?
Originally, during my studies, I didn’t expect to pursue a PhD – I thought it would be too monotone; too detail-oriented, and I would get bored. However, this changed because I developed a curiosity to better understand entrepreneurship and to find out why and how entrepreneurs do what they do. I wanted to learn more, and when I saw the description for the PhD position at the Unit for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, it piqued my interest. It offered flexibility in terms of my topic, allowing me to focus on sports and SportsTech – something that I am also interested and engaged in outside of research. Now, I’m enjoying doing research and so I’m happy with the choice I made.
You are studying innovative entrepreneurship in SportsTech, and you are very active in sports, completing several full-distance triathlons. How does your interest in sports help you with your research project?
I think it helps quite a lot, specifically in two ways. When doing my research, for example while collecting data by interviewing co-founders of SportsTech start-ups, it’s easy for me to establish a connection with them because we share an interest in sports and performance.
Having similar interests helps to open doors and to connect with people, ultimately resulting in better research. Doing research this way is also simply fun for me, because of all the interesting people I get to meet and ask questions.
Besides that, both working towards a triathlon and doing a PhD take similar skills and require the same mindset. For both, you need to be prepared to work hard pretty much every day for something that will only be completed in the future – whether it is finishing a race or finishing a research paper. Both require planning and motivation, and you need to stay adaptable and flexible.
What do you think about being a PhD student at the School of Business, Economics and Law?
I think PhD studies are generally well-organized at the School of Business, Economics and Law. Atour unit, we initially focus on completing PhD-specific courses to help you prepare for doing your own research. This definitely proved useful when we eventually started doing our own research in the second year of the PhD, and will surely be useful in the upcoming years. I also have great work-life balance as a PhD student here, and I’m grateful for that because I’m aware that not everyone has that privilege.
What do you think about Gothenburg?
I first visited Gothenburg during a study-related trip in 2019 and remember being impressed by the city. So, when I moved here in 2021 for my master’s degree, I was excited to live here. It’s difficult to put into words, but Gothenburg offers such a nice balance of being a lively, big city, without feeling overcrowded, and with easy access to nature all around. Being active, exploring the outdoors, and taking part in sports is also such an important aspect of the culture here, and personally I greatly appreciate that.
