1. How can research contribute to practice and policy? Professor Colette Henry Centre for Veterinary Enterprise Royal Veterinary College / WEC Chair - ICSB (chenry@rvc.ac.uk)

2. Current state of research on women’s entrepreneurship Developments in Theory 1.Early studies - descriptive, ‘gender as a variable’ approach 1.Highly informed conceptual frameworks. 1.Recognition of gendered perception of women entrepreneurs as inferior to men.

3. Contribution in practice -Structured, coherent & collaborative research efforts -Dedicated journals & symposia -Global understanding -Better informed education, training & support policies

4. Case Example: Veterinary Sector  24,000+ vets & 9,300+ vet nurses working in the UK  50% vets and almost all (98%) vet nurses are women  Nearly 5,000 vet practices, mostly owned by men  80%+ vet students are women!

5. ‘What’s happening out there?’ (Curran & Storey, 2002)  What impact will the feminization of the profession have?  What are women’s business ownership intentions?  What are the implications for veterinary business education?