Description 

Are you passionate about the world of startups and scaleups? Are you curious to investigate the secret(s) to their success and gather these learnings to help others foster innovation and entrepreneurship? Do you take responsibility in bringing your projects to success and enjoy interacting with (potential) partners? Then we may have the right opportunity for you! 

As a Junior Researcher, you will be responsible for carrying out some of our research projects. You will be working in our research team next to top academics and experienced project managers. You will be also help coordinate and successfully execute our research projects, which means you will also be regularly in touch with current and perspective partners, from onboarding them to delivering the final results. In addition, you get the chance to learn from successful startup and scaleup entrepreneurs and other important stakeholders on how to improve the functioning an innovation ecosystem.  

What you’ll be doing: 

• Get in touch with current and potential research partners;  
• Write offers and project proposals; 
• Execute research (e.g. data collection and analysis);
• Project management and delivery;
• Come up with innovative ideas to bring our research projects to the next level. 

What we offer you: 

• A junior position where you get the unique chance to work with prominent academics and successful entrepreneurs; 
• The possibility of further developing yourself in different realms, including project management and research; 
• Working in a team that is entrepreneurial and impactful, playing top league and as a team – check out our core values for more information; 
• An inspiring workplace in the Rotterdam Science Tower among 100+ startups and cool facilities (did we say ping pong, bar and VR games?); 
• A great chance to broaden your network with entrepreneurs, policy officers, scientists and innovators; 
• A market-conform salary. 

Requirements 

• You have just graduated from university (Master or similar) or max. 2 years of work experience, and you are ready to kickstart your professional career; 
• You have strong analytical skills and are able to deal with complex subjects in depth;
• Challenge? Say no more! You are eager to learn and develop yourself; 
• You have an entrepreneurial mindset and are interested/familiar with young and innovative companies, such as startups and scaleups; 
• You have a practical approach to solving complex problems, coordinating several activities and setting SMART goals; 
• You are a spontaneous person who is happy to interact with (potential) partners and colleagues;
• You are a native Dutch speaker and are fluent in English. 

React now 

Apply for this vacancy by sending your CV and motivation letter to Linda Nieuwenhuijzen (hr@ece.nl)!

Who we are 

Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship is the leading centre for entrepreneurship in Europe. Fuelled by our belief that entrepreneurship is the primary driver for innovation, we strive to embed entrepreneurship in the DNA of people by applying the knowledge and network of Erasmus University Rotterdam, a university founded by entrepreneurs more than 100 years ago.  

With a team composed of 4 full professors and 35 researchers, we generate insights into the growth and development of SMEs, paying particular attention to startups and scaleups. Every year, we publish our open reports, including ScaleUp Dashboard and Top 250 Scaleups, where we summarise the main results of our research. Based on our insights, we advise local and national public authorities, companies and other organisations on how to foster entrepreneurship on a wide range of topics including innovation, entrepreneurial ecosystems, economic growth and job creation.