Professor Felicity Kelliher awarded prestigious Kerttu Saalasti Award for 2025 in Finland
Professor Felicity Kelliher of South East Technological University (SETU) has been awarded the Kerttu Saalasti Award 2025 in Finland. The international award recognises outstanding contributions to micro entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial culture.
Accepting the award, Professor Kelliher said she was “humbled” to receive the honour, which reflects her lifelong commitment to supporting micro and small enterprise development.
“Micro enterprises make significant social and economic contributions, yet their unique needs are often overlooked,” Professor Kelliher said. “Failure rates remain unnecessarily high, and generic interventions offer little benefit. A holistic, co-created development system, underpinned by research, can better support these entrepreneurs.”
Professor Matti Muhos, representative of the Kerttu Saalasti Foundation, praised Prof Kelliher’s global impact, “Professor Felicity Kelliher is highly cited in her field and has inspired researchers worldwide to engage in micro-entrepreneurship studies. Her most referenced articles address resource-based perspectives on micro-enterprise management practices, the role of trust in networks, managerial innovation capability, and collaboration strategies.”
Professor Kelliher is co-founder of the BRIM Research Centre (BRIM RIKON) at SETU, which champions research-led support for micro-entrepreneurs. She has collaborated extensively with Finnish colleagues on comparative studies of entrepreneurship policy, innovation, and relationship management. Her most recent research with Prof Jaana Tähtinen explores how emotions shape business-to-business relationships in small firms.
She acknowledged the support of the Faculty of Business, the BRIM Research Centre, and her TU RISE Sabbatical, which enabled her to advance this work internationally.
Professor Tom O’Toole, Head of Faculty of Business at SETU, congratulated Professor Kelliher on her success, “This award is a tremendous recognition of Prof Kelliher’s pioneering work in micro-enterprise research. Her insights have shaped policy and practice in Ireland and internationally, and we are proud to see her achievements honoured in this way.”
Dr Patricia Bowe, Head of Department of Management and Organisation, added, “Felicity is an inspiring colleague whose passion for supporting micro and small businesses is reflected in her teaching, her research, and her collaborations. This award is richly deserved.”
Reflecting on the award, Prof Kelliher said, “This award means a great deal to me, especially as it celebrates micro entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial culture. I am hugely appreciative of this honour. As researchers, I encourage us all to stay curious… curiosity is the bedrock of progress.”
The Kerttu Saalasti Award, named after Finland’s first female Minister of Education, celebrates international excellence in micro-entrepreneurship research and practice.
