SSE Gunnar Hedlund Award

The SSE Gunnar Hedlund Award is a prize for the best Ph.D. thesis in the field of International Business. 

The SSE Gunnar Hedlund Award, 2025–2027

In 1997, the Institute of International Business at the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) established the award in memory of SSE Professor Gunnar Hedlund. The purpose of the award is to stimulate Ph.D. candidates worldwide in the field of International Business and to commemorate Professor Hedlund’s important contributions.

The award is administered by the Stockholm School of Economics in collaboration with the European International Business Academy (EIBA). The winner receives a medal, a diploma, and €10,000, and is announced bi-annually at the EIBA Annual Meeting in December.

steffen

Winner 2023–2025

Steffen Ulrich Wolfer, Tilburg University

The award was presented by the Chairman of the Gunnar Hedlund Award Faculty Committee, Professor Udo Zander, at the 51st EIBA Conference in Athens.

Thesis title:
“Innovation and corporate catching-up in China: A configurational approach”

 

Jury 2023–2025

The jury members evaluating the dissertations submitted for the Gunnar Hedlund Award 2023–2025 were:

  • Kazuhiro Asakawa, Professor of Global Innovation Management, Keio University, Japan
  • Julian Birkinshaw, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, London Business School, UK
  • Peter J. Buckley, Professor of International Business, University of Leeds, UK
  • Rebecca Piekkari, Professor of International Business, Aalto University, Finland
  • Eleanor Westney, Professor Emerita, York University, Canada
  • Udo Zander, Professor of International Business, SSE (Chairman, non-voting)

Submissions for the 2025–2027 Prize

To be eligible for the 2025–2027 SSE Gunnar Hedlund Award, the doctoral dissertation (written in English) must have been completed between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2027.

Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis but must be received no later than 1 August 2027. Submissions after this date will be considered for the next award cycle.

Applicants must submit:

  • one full copy of the dissertation (paper and digital versions)
  • a 10-page anonymized abstract (digital version)

Finalists will be invited to present their work at the EIBA Annual Conference in December 2027. A stipend will be provided to support travel and conference participation.

Requirements for the abstract

The abstract must:

  • be maximum 10 pages, 1.5 line spacing
  • be anonymized (title only on the first page)

It must include:

  • cover page with thesis title (1 page)
  • summary of the research problem, purpose, and research questions (1 page)
  • overview of relevant literature (1–2 pages)
  • summary of research method, including design, data, and analysis (1–2 pages)
  • main findings and results (1–2 pages)
  • implications for international business theory and practice (2–3 pages)

Evaluation criteria and selection

A jury of leading international business scholars selects the winner. The jury is chaired by Professor Udo Zander.

The award is given to the dissertation with the greatest potential to impact the field of International Business. Both theoretical and empirical contributions are considered.

In the spirit of Professor Gunnar Hedlund, particular emphasis is placed on:

  • intellectual boldness
  • creativity
  • originality

Submission and administrative enquiries

Please send submissions and enquiries to:

Stockholm School of Economics
SSE Gunnar Hedlund Award Committee
Attn. Ms. Alexandra Svahn Alberts
P.O. Box 6501
SE-113 83 Stockholm, Sweden

Phone: +46 76 148 76 25
Email: alexandra.svahn.alberts@hhs.se

Previous winners of the SSE Gunnar Hedlund Award

2021–2023

Khadija van der Straaten
University of Amsterdam

2018–2021

Michał Budryk
Uppsala University

2016–2018

Yamlaksira Getachew
Loyola Marymount University

2014–2016

Jacqueline Mees-Buss
University of Sydney

Carlos Rodriguez
McGill University

2012–2014

Karl Joachim Breunig
BI Norwegian Business School

2010–2011

Lisa Gärber
WU Vienna University of Economics and Business

2008–2009

Jesper Edman
Stockholm School of Economics

2007

Chris Changwha Chung
University of Western Ontario

2006

Jon Erland Lervik
BI Norwegian Business School

2004–2005

Renata Kosova
University of Michigan

2003

Simon Harris
Leeds University Business School

2002

Joseph Kogan
Harvard University

2001

Marian Beise
Technische Universität Berlin

2000

Michelle Gittelman
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

1999

Jaeyong Song
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

1998

Anthony S. Frost
MIT