Research at the Center
ADVANCING ENTREPRENEURSHIP. SUPPORTING FAMILY BUSINESS.
Driving new understanding that helps entrepreneurs, educators, family businesses, and policymakers make better decisions in North Dakota and beyond.
// Why It Matters
Connecting Our Research to Real-World Impact
At the NDSU Center for Entrepreneurship and Family Business, we work with leading researchers, faculty, and graduate students to explore the challenges that matter most to entrepreneurs, businesses, and family firms.
Through collaboration and applied research, the Center generates insights that improve entrepreneurship education, strengthen business practices, inform policy, and help organizations navigate change. The common thread is impact. Strong research leads to better decisions and creates lasting value for entrepreneurs, businesses, and communities in North Dakota and beyond.
// Faculty Research
Featured Studies
Liberate or Subjugate Them? The Effect of Supplier Dependence on Buyer Innovation
Dr. Chanchai Tangpong
When suppliers become too dependent on a buyer, both sides become less innovative because suppliers focus on meeting expectations instead of generating new ideas, and buyers become less curious and open to outside perspectives.
Published in Journal of Product Innovation Management
Knowledge and Behavioral Spillovers from Academic Entrepreneurs: Preliminary evidence from the NSF I-Corps
Dr. Onnolee Nordstrom
This study suggests that entrepreneurial learning often fails to spread within research labs because entrepreneurship is treated as a separate activity rather than being embedded in lab leadership and culture.
Published in Research Policy
Endogeneity, my dear Watson! A Systematic Analysis of Uses and Misapplications in Entrepreneurship Research
Ahmad Al Asady
This paper highlights that stronger research methods lead to more trustworthy entrepreneurship findings, helping policymakers, investors, and business leaders make better decisions.
Published in Entrepreneurship and Regional Development
Expanding the Lean Startup Framework: The Role of Validated Learning from Technical Specialists
Dan Hsu
This study finds that entrepreneurship students learn best when they combine customer feedback with technical expertise, highlighting the importance of diverse perspectives in building stronger ventures.
Published in Journal of Small Business Management
The Good and Evil of Algos: Investment-to-Price Sensitivity and the Learning Hypothesis
Fariz Huseynov
This study finds that more active and efficient markets help business leaders make better decisions by providing stronger market signals, ultimately supporting innovation, growth, and entrepreneurship.
Published in Journal of Corporate Finance
// New Initiative
Research Excellence & Impact Initiative
Research Excellence
Recognizing outstanding scholarship in entrepreneurship research and family business research.
Research Funding
Support for new and ongoing research projects that advance knowledge in entrepreneurship and family business.
Research Community
Funding to bring scholars and ideas to campus; visiting scholars, research colloquia, workshops, and more.
// Apply or nomminate
Application Form
Use this form to apply for funding or nominate research for recognition through the Center for Entrepreneurship and Family Business (CEFB) Research Excellence & Impact Initiative. Applications will be evaluated based on the criteria established for each program.