PhD: Coworking spaces as place-based organisational actors, University of Bath, UK

Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide): Place-Based Industrial Strategy and Regional Growth

About the Project

We invite applications from highly motivated candidates to undertake a 3-4-year Full-time PhD beginning in September 2027 who are interested in exploring the role of coworking spaces as organisational actors and their wider regional impact:

• by supporting entrepreneurship, as actors reconstructing lost socio-economic infrastructures in peripheral, lagging or long ignored areas.
• as hubs of innovative activity (either with specialist or generalist foci).
• as intermediaries/anchor organisations in broader place-based systems of innovation.

Coworking spaces (and flexible office space - collectively referred to hereon in as CWSs) have experienced growth in many countries, in capital cities but also provincial towns/cities, rural and coastal areas. A key element of CWSs is an emphasis upon being a 'community'. Depending upon the specifics of the 'community', CWSs can enhance inclusiveness of various socio-economic groups, genders, ethnicity into the local workforce through entrepreneurship and business support. CWSs offer the potential to facilitate skills upgrading, entrepreneurial knowledge and confidence. Therefore, they may play a role in local workforce (re)integration and within a broader strategy to revitalise local economies/regional ecosystems; however, the evidence remains largely anecdotal.

CWSs may also form specialised communities organised around specific technologies (AI, Digital, Creative etc.), or sectors (professional services, architecture etc.), raising the attractiveness of a location and its regional productivity, stimulating more rapid progression of the knowledge frontier in its specialised area. Yet, the 'community' here may face tensions of both inclusivity and exclusivity. Those which are more inclusive may display similar characteristics to CWSs as outlined above. Those which are more 'exclusive' may or may not generate the positive effects commonly expressed and may have different impacts upon regional growth. There may also be tensions in the formation of a community where knowledge sharing may be more limited due to fears over loss of proprietary knowledge. We are interested in proposals addressing elements of these areas or combination thereof. Studies may be based in the UK or internationally. Comparative studies across sectors, regions and nations are also encouraged.

Candidate requirements:

• Applicants must have, or be about to obtain, a UK Honours degree First Class or 2:1, or international equivalent.
• A master's level qualification would also be advantageous.
• Non-UK applicants must meet the programme’s English language requirement.

We would prefer applications written in your own words rather than assisted by AI. If used, applicants must declare any use of AI in the preparation of their proposal, specifying the purpose (e.g., drafting, editing, idea generation, or literature/citation sourcing etc.) and identify the AI system and version used. All PhD students must commence registration and PhD training on 4 October 2027.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We value a diverse research environment and strive to be an inclusive university, where difference is celebrated and respected. We encourage applications from under-represented groups. If you have circumstances that you feel we should be aware of that have affected your educational attainment, then please feel free to tell us about it in your application form. The best way to do this is a short paragraph at the end of your personal statement. The Disability Service ensures that individuals with disabilities are provided the support that they need. If you state in your application that you have a disability, the Disability Service will contact you as part of this process to discuss your needs.

Funding Notes

Please note that this project is also accepting self-funded/externally funded applicants. If you would like to apply for funded studentships (i.e., URSA and CSC), please follow the deadlines for the specific funding competitions and indicate which scholarships you would like to apply for in the application form. Any application without selecting the right scholarships from the drop-down list may cause delay or not being considered. More information about funding, please see Find funding for Doctoral research. If you’d apply for funding and English is not your first language, you must meet our English language entry requirement before the application deadlines.