Entrepreneurial ecosystems have attracted immense scholarly attention over the past decade, generating a rich but fragmented body of work. To leverage and further develop the collective insights across disciplines, this Professional Development Workshop (PDW) focuses on building a cumulative, transdisciplinary research program. Drawing on Wurth, Stam, and Spigel’s (2022) call for a structured entrepreneurial ecosystem research program, we invite participants to collaboratively revisit key conceptual underpinnings and mechanisms. This PDW combines two innovative initiatives to advance the field: (1) developing a coherent research agenda based on systematic knowledge synthesis, and (2) creating the definitive Elgar Encyclopaedia of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems. As the encyclopaedia editors, we aim to extend an open invitation to contributors to shape the definitive reference work in this field. Through structured interactions between senior and junior scholars, the workshop will harvest insights from existing research, identify promising research directions, and provide concrete opportunities for scholars to contribute to the field's development. The interactive format includes small-group discussions and expert panels, ensuring meaningful engagement across career stages and research traditions and providing guidance on developing high-impact, collaborative, and societally relevant research. This PDW directly supports the ENT Division's mission of growing entrepreneurial scholars by providing a platform for knowledge sharing, network building, and concrete scholarly output through the encyclopaedia, as well as the Academy’s mission of interdisciplinary bridge-building.
