What is shaping entrepreneurship research today? Our contributions to G-Forum 2026

Hannes Thees and Philipp Flauger presented research on whether incubators and accelerators can generate transformation impact beyond the success of individual tourism start-ups. A second contribution examined the TerraLayer.AI project and the role of AI-driven environmental intelligence in biodiversity and sustainable forest governance.

We also invited participants to help establish the FGF working group Entrepreneurship Transfer, Policy & Practice, jointly led by Hannes Thees and Florian Täube of the RKW Kompetenzzentrum. The group aims to bring entrepreneurship research into closer exchange with policymakers and practitioners.

Our contributions were part of a much wider discussion. Looking across the conference programme, five themes stood out to us:

• AI and technology: Their changing role in ventures, innovation and established businesses.
• Health entrepreneurship: New approaches to healthcare and service delivery.
• Sustainability and impact: The wider environmental and social effects of entrepreneurial activity.
• Start-up ecosystems and scaling: The partnerships and support structures that help ideas grow.
• People and participation: The roles of leadership, well-being, diversity and inclusion.

Together, these topics brought the conference theme, “Crossing Boundaries – Interdisciplinary Entrepreneurship at the Intersection of Technology, Health, and Society,” to life. Cottbus offered an inspiring setting for the keynotes, discussions and new connections. Thank you to the FGF and the local organisers for bringing this exchange together.

https://www.fgf-ev.de/g-forum-2026-cottbus/