Browse the seed grants recipients
Browse the recipients of IGL Seed Grants – Early-stage experimental research projects in science, innovation and productivity
Seed Grants 2025/2026
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Zooming In or Panning Out? How AI Recommendations Shape Selection Decisions
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how organizations evaluate innovations. AI can offer recommendations emphasizing key evaluation criteria, such as novelty and feasibility, to influence human evaluators’ selection decisions. Organizations often generate large numbers of potential solutions, requiring evaluators to decide which are worth pursuing. Typically, evaluators assess criteria in parallel, integrating AI recommendations highlighting both […]
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A scientific and sustainable approach to business decision making
This project examines how different approaches to entrepreneurial decision-making relate to the strategic behavior and performance of early-stage ventures in Uruguay. The research focuses on outcomes such as project continuation or termination, revenue growth, strategic pivoting, and the evolution of entrepreneurial networks. Key facts Principal Investigator: Marcos SegantiniAffiliation: Chair Professor of Entrepreneurship, Universidad ORT Uruguay
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Encouraging Innovation Among SMEs and Its Implications for (De) carbonization Efforts: Experimental Evidence from Germany’s R&D Tax Credit Program
Germany’s 2020 R&D tax credit offers eligible firms up to €2.5 million annually, corresponding to 25 per cent of a maximum firm tax base of €10 million. SMEs qualify for enhanced rates up to 35%, potentially yielding even larger tax relief. Yet 75% of R&D-active SMEs have never applied. This high non-participation rate, despite substantial […]
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From Contacts to Contracts: Strengthening Social Capital for Refugee Entrepreneurs in Uganda
Entrepreneurship offers one of the few viable paths to self-reliance for refugees, yet displacement often severs the networks of trust and information that businesses depend on. This project explores how refugee entrepreneurs can rebuild these essential social ties and what forms of network engagement most effectively promote business growth and inclusion. Working in partnership with […]
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Navigating AI Governance: A Pilot Experiment on How Regulatory Models and Entrepreneurial Decision-Making Shape Creativity
Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers significant developmental opportunities, but it also raises profound governance challenges, including opacity (“black-box” algorithms) and ethical failures. Although AI safety is widely recognised as a core priority, global agreement on governance frameworks remains limited, resulting in markedly different regulatory approaches across countries. This macro-level divergence in governance logic raises a central […]
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Outreach for University-Industry Collaboration
This project investigates how the way of outreach influences the success of university-industry collaboration. Specifically, it will test whether contact with companies mediated by Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) generates more engagement compared to direct outreach by researchers. The study will design and pilot a randomized field experiment embedded within a proof-of-concept programme at CCG/ZGDV. Both […]
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Reducing Information Asymmetries to Improve Employee Retention: A Randomized Hiring Intervention in Manufacturing Firms
High employee turnover in blue-collar manufacturing jobs imposes large costs on firms and job switching costs on workers while limiting productivity growth. I test whether reducing information asymmetries in the hiring process can improve employee retention. I run a randomized controlled trial in a medium-sized Turkish manufacturing firm with four arms: standard hiring practices (control), […]
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Shock to A or shock to K? The Role of Capital Grants vs. Digitalization in Firm Growth and Specialization
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are central to employment and recovery in fragile, post‑conflict contexts. This scoping project studies how capital grants and digital organisational support reshape firm organisation, task specialisation, and job quality in Iraqi SMEs. Building on a partnership with the UN, we combine survey data on time‑use (labour and capital), supplier relationships, […]
Seed Grants 2024/2025.
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Gender Disparities in Scientific Funding: Do Women Ask for Smaller Grants?
Female scientists systematically receive lower funding, which has a large long-run impact on scientific success and impact. This paper attempts to understand whether this is because female scientists systematically ask for smaller grants compared to their male counterparts, conditional on the quality of the idea. I hope to combine analysis of grant application data to […]
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Women Have the Right to Choose: Unpacking the Effect of Inclusive Training on Entrepreneurial Action
This project pilots an inclusive entrepreneurship training program designed to address gender disparities at the pre-entry stage, where gaps initially emerge and compound over time. Through a two-month experimental intervention in India, we compare two versions of an otherwise identical online program featuring three carefully designed inclusive elements: female instructors, case studies on female founders, […]
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Low-Cost Digital Tools for Productivity: A Pilot Study in Turkish Manufacturing SMEs
This project aims to pilot and evaluate low-cost digital transformation solutions for manufacturing SMEs in collaboration with Samsun Model Factory in Türkiye. The project will assess their effectiveness in improving productivity and operational efficiency by implementing tools such as sensors, job tracking, and energy monitoring systems in three SMEs. Using an action research methodology, the […]
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The Impact of AI Usage on Recruitment Judgment
The increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) in the job application process raises questions about its influence on recruiters’ judgments and decisions. This study investigates how AI assistance in application materials affects recruiters’ judgments of job applicants, focusing on both the perceived and actual use of AI. To address this, we will conduct a field […]
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Empowering Women Entrepreneurs: Interventions to Increase Access to Funding
Accessing funding is a pivotal milestone for entrepreneurs, significantly shaping the survival and growth of their businesses. However, women entrepreneurs face greater challenges than their male counterparts in securing funding, particularly from traditional financial institutions (e.g., banks). These disparities stem from systemic inequalities and biases on both the supply and demand sides of funding, perpetuating […]
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An Experimental Approach to Knowledge Sharing
In the knowledge economy, effective knowledge sharing (KS) is crucial for productivity and innovation. Despite this, KS is often hindered by distrust, fear of competition, and personal motivations, leading to destructive behaviors like knowledge hiding. Policies such as incentives, training, and recognition aim to address these barriers. However, their effectiveness has rarely been compared systematically. […]
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“Do firms know what they are looking for? A Demand-Side Experiment to Reduce Matching Frictions in Ugandan Labour Markets”
Labour market mismatch remains a persistent global challenge, particularly in Uganda, where university- educated youth face high unemployment despite growing demand for skilled workers in sectors like technology and professional services. This research investigates how firms’ selective attention to job requirements may contribute to this mismatch during the hiring process. Using a model of selective […]
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Scaling Innovation: Enhancing Delegation Skills to Unlock Entrepreneurial Growth in Developing Economies
High-growth entrepreneurship in developing countries faces critical barriers related to entrepreneurial capabilities. While accelerators have proven effective in unlocking the potential of innovative entrepreneurs (González-Uribe & Reyes, 2021), scaling successful businesses remains a significant challenge. Entrepreneurs who achieve growth often face new hurdles, such as effective delegation, a crucial skill for overcoming time and resource […]