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Deadline for submission of abstracts: 9 January 2026
The conference encourages the submission of cutting-edge research that engages with the challenges and opportunities emerging at the intersection of digital change and sustainability.
Contributions may include conceptual, empirical, and policy-oriented work that addresses the governance of innovation, the future of global value chains, new business models, mission-driven innovation, and anticipatory approaches to technological change.
We invite bold thinking on how innovation and technology management can remain not only relevant, but transformative, in a world in flux.
Conference topics
大会主题：
Abstracts are invited on the following topics and should be submitted using the online abstract submission system. 会议现征集以下主题的口头摘要和墙报摘要，请您通过我们的摘要提交系统进行提交：
1. AI in Innovation: Augmentation, Automation, and Ethics 1. 创新过程中的人工智能：增强、自动化与伦理
Engaging with how artificial intelligence is changing R&D, design, forecasting, and innovation decision-making—and raising new ethical and governance issues.
2. The Platformization of Industry: Ecosystem Strategy and Value Reconfiguration 2. 产业平台化：生态系统战略与价值重构
Understanding how digital platforms orchestrate ecosystems, reshape industries, and create new power structures in the global economy.
3. Open Innovation in the Post-Platform Era 3. 后平台时代的开放创新
Investigating the evolving logic of open innovation in complex multi-actor settings, including platform ecosystems, regional clusters, and public-private partnerships.
4. User-Driven and Community Innovation in Digitally Mediated Contexts 4. 数字时代的用户驱动与社群创新
Exploring grassroots innovation, citizen science, maker movements, and online communities as sources of technological and social innovation.
5. Mission-Oriented Innovation and Societal Challenges 5. 使命导向型的技术创新与社会挑战
Analyzing how innovation systems are being reoriented toward grand challenges—climate, health, mobility—through public missions, partnerships, and policy instruments.
6. Strategic Foresight and Technological Forecasting in Innovation Management 6. 创新管理中的战略预见与技术预测
Deep-diving into methods and applications of foresight, Delphi studies, roadmapping, and horizon scanning across sectors.
7. Dynamic Capabilities and Innovation Capture in Global Firms 7. 全球企业的动态能力与创新机会捕获
Understanding how multinationals manage R&D and innovation investment amid turbulence, including geopolitical stress.
8. Sustainable Futures: Innovation for Environmental and Social Resilience 8. 可持续未来：面向环境与社会韧性的技术创新
Examining the interplay between technological innovation, environmental transitions, and inclusive development at the firm, ecosystem, and policy levels.
9. Reinventing Industrial Policy for the Digital Age 9. 数字时代产业政策的重构
Critically evaluating how governments and supra-national bodies shape innovation trajectories through strategic investments, regulation, and ecosystem building.
10. Global South Innovation Pathways and Alternative Models of Development 10. 全球南方崛起的创新路径与替代性发展模式
Investigating innovation trajectories and ecosystem models emerging from the Global South, especially amid shifting global power dynamics.
11. Quantitative Technology Forecasting and Scouting Mechanics 11. 定量技术预测与技术侦察机制
How firms deploy data driven scouting, text mining and extrapolation models to detect emerging industrial technologies and guide R&D investment strategies.
12. Cyber physical Systems & Smart Manufacturing Management 12. 信息物理系统与智能制造系统的技术管理
Study of managing IoT enabled manufacturing systems, digital twins, and smart factory operations to optimize technical performance and production agility.
13. Decision Making under Deep Uncertainty in Engineering Projects 13. 重大工程项目深度不确定性下的决策机制
Application of robust scenario planning and adaptive frameworks (DMDU) to manage engineering and technology investments amid highly uncertain futures.
14. Supply Chain Digital Technologies and Innovation Capability 14. 供应链数字技术与创新能力
Exploration of how digital tools (e.g. blockchain, analytics, automation) enhance innovation capability within supply chain engineering and operations.
Guidelines for authors
You can submit as many abstracts to the conference for review as you would like. If, after the review by the committee, you have more than one paper accepted for the conference, you will need to register to attend and pay an additional paper fee for each additional paper (i.e., for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th papers – not the 1st). Please note this is for papers that you are the presenting author of, not papers that you are co-author of.
Successfully submitted abstracts will be acknowledged with an electronic receipt including an abstract reference number, which should be quoted in all correspondence. Allow at least 2 hours for your receipt to be returned to you.
Once the paper is accepted, at least one of the authors must register for the conference and present the paper at the conference.
Abstracts of all accepted contributions will be included within the online abstract system which will be distributed to all registered conference participants.
For revisions or queries regarding papers already submitted
If you do not receive acknowledgement for your abstract submission or you wish to make any essential revisions to an abstract already submitted, please DO NOT RESUBMIT your abstract, as this may lead to duplication. Please contact us with details of any revisions or queries. Please quote your reference number if you have one.
Please do not email credit card information under any circumstances.
PhD Colloquium - Ecosystem Governance in the Digital Era
Date: May 21, 2026 Location: Tsinghua University, Beijing Participants: PhD students and junior faculty Instructor: Prof. Wim Vanhaverbeke Time: 09:00 – 17:00
Synopsis
Digital transformation is no longer limited to deploying new technologies within firm boundaries. Increasingly, innovation, value creation, and competitive advantage are shaped by ecosystems—networks of interdependent actors collaborating across organizational borders. For established companies, ecosystems offer a pathway to redefine their role in the market, monetize underutilized assets, and compete in platform-based environments. Yet engaging in or leading an ecosystem brings complex governance challenges: Who sets the rules? How is value shared? How can openness and control be balanced over time?
This one-day session explores how legacy firms and healthcare organizations can design, govern, and scale digital ecosystems in a way that aligns with their strategic goals while engaging diverse stakeholders. Participants will examine the managerial logics of ecosystem orchestration, from identifying latent capabilities within incumbent firms to activating complementors and scaling network effects. Special attention is given to how firms manage tensions between traditional product- and service-centric operations and emerging platform-based business models.
At the same time, the course emphasizes that ecosystem governance is not only a matter for firms. Public authorities and regulators increasingly play a pivotal role in shaping digital ecosystems by setting standards, enforcing data protection, and creating enabling frameworks for collaboration. This is particularly evident in healthcare, where governments must balance innovation with patient safety, cost efficiency, and trust. By examining the role of public actors, participants will gain insights into how policy, regulation, and institutional design interact with corporate strategies in digital ecosystems.
The course combines conceptual frameworks with real-world examples, including deep-dive cases on the digital transformation of legacy organizations and the governance of healthcare ecosystems. Participants will reflect on governance mechanisms such as partner selection, modular architecture, value allocation, and rule enforcement—both from a corporate and a public-policy perspective. They will engage with strategic dilemmas faced by ecosystem orchestrators, explore decision-making tools, and develop a critical understanding of how ecosystems evolve and what it takes to sustain them.
Throughout the day, participants are encouraged to connect ecosystem governance to their own research or professional practice. By working through structured frameworks and applying insights to real cases, they will not only grasp the core concepts of ecosystem governance but also learn how to translate them into actionable strategies or scholarly inquiry.
Learning objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Understand the strategic role of ecosystems
for established firms seeking to innovate beyond organizational boundaries and leverage their existing assets in new ways.
Identify the key governance challenges
involved in orchestrating an innovation ecosystem, including how to balance openness and control, design participation rules, and manage interdependencies among partners.
Apply ecosystem governance frameworks
to real-world contexts, with a particular focus on how legacy firms can transition from product-based to platform-based models while managing internal and external tensions.
Evaluate different governance mechanisms
—such as partner selection criteria, value-sharing models, and architectural modularity—and their impact on ecosystem health and scalability.
Reflect on how ecosystem governance insights
can inform your own research agenda, particularly when studying platform dynamics, inter-organizational collaboration, or digital transformation.
Analyze the role of public authorities and regulators in shaping digital ecosystems, with special emphasis on how policies, standards, and data governance frameworks influence ecosystem evolution.
Assess how public–private collaboration can foster trust, innovation, and sustainability in sensitive sectors such as healthcare.
Agenda
09:00 – 10:45 | Session 1 – Digitally Enabled Business Models: The Strategic Role of Ecosystems
This session examines how digital technologies are transforming the logic of value creation and capture in firms, leading to the emergence of new business models. We explore the strategic importance of ecosystems in enabling and scaling these digitally enabled models. Particular attention is paid to how ecosystems support legacy firms in extending their core capabilities, entering adjacent domains, and building platform-based offerings.
Learning themes:
Understanding the shift from pipeline to platform business models
How ecosystems enable firms to integrate data, services, and third-party innovation
The interdependence between business model innovation and ecosystem orchestration
Illustrative examples:
Connected mobility (e.g. Volvo, BMW)
Digital health (e.g. Philips, Siemens Healthineers)
Industrial platforms (e.g. GE Predix, Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure)
Optional background readings:
Seminal papers
Adner, R. (2017). Ecosystem as structure: An actionable construct for strategy.
Journal of Management, 43
(1), 39–58.
Jacobides, M. G., Cennamo, C., & Gawer, A. (2018). Towards a theory of ecosystems.
Strategic Management Journal, 39
(8), 2255–2276.
Managing Ecosystem papers
Gawer, A. (2021). Digital Platforms and Ecosystems: Remarks on the Dominant Organizational Forms of the Digital Age. Innovation: Organization & Management, 23(1), 102-131. – Builds on Jacobides et al. (2018).
Autio, E., & Thomas, L. D. W. (2020). Innovation Ecosystems: Implications for Innovation Management. Oxford Handbook of Innovation Management, 557-585. - Links Adner’s ecosystem structure to innovation management.
Kapoor, R. (2018). Ecosystems: Broadening the Locus of Value Creation. Journal of Organization Design, 7(1), 1-16. – Builds on Adner (2017).
Class format: Conceptual overview + industry illustrations + guided discussion
10:45 – 11:00 | Coffee Break
11:00 – 12:45 | Session 2 – Case Discussion: Siemens Healthineers and the Governance of a Digital Ecosystem
In this session, we analyze how Siemens Healthineers developed and governed its teamplay platform ecosystem. Participants examine the strategic intent behind the shift, how SHS designed its ecosystem around hospitals, developers, and regulators, and what governance mechanisms it used to manage risks and extract value.
Case: Siemens Healthineers – A Digital Journey
Key issues:
Aligning platform development with core medical imaging business
Governance trade-offs: openness vs. control, trust vs. regulation
Managing internal transformation alongside external orchestration
Class format: Case discussion in plenary and small groups
12:45 – 13:45 | Lunch Break
13:45 – 15:15 | Session 3 – Digital Transformation and Ecosystem Governance
This session explores how legacy healthcare organizations—for instance large MedTech companies and hospitals—navigate digital transformation and ecosystem governance. The discussion focuses on how these organizations evolve from product- or service-centric models toward orchestrating or co-orchestrating digital healthcare ecosystems. We examine how hospitals and MedTech incumbents govern relationships with technology partners, regulators, and insurers, while balancing the delivery of high-quality care and patient trust with the demands of digital innovation.
Learning themes:
Understanding digital transformation gaps and risks of value impedance in healthcare organizations
Managing tensions between traditional operations and digital platform models
The role of hospitals and MedTech incumbents as ecosystem orchestrators or co-governors
Designing governance mechanisms: access, participation rules, value allocation, and trust-building
Leveraging dynamic capabilities for ecosystem development: sensing opportunities, connecting stakeholders, orchestrating silos, and redefining organizational boundaries
Lessons for hospitals and MedTech firms in balancing innovation with regulatory and patient-centered imperatives
Illustrative examples:
Hospitals as ecosystem orchestrators
MedTech incumbents developing platform ecosystems (e.g., Philips HealthSuite, GE Healthcare)
Emerging hospital–industry partnerships for data-driven healthcare ecosystems
Optional background readings:
Pundziene, A., Gutmann, T., Schlichtner, M., & Teece, D. J. (2022). Value impedance and dynamic capabilities: The case of MedTech incumbent-born digital healthcare platforms. California Management Review, 64(4), 108–134. https://doi.org/10.1177/00081256221099326
Teece, D. J., Pundziene, A., Heaton, S., & Vadi, M. (2022). Managing multi-sided platforms: Platform origins and go-to-market strategy. California Management Review, 64(4), 5–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/00081256221109961
Randhawa, K., Vanhaverbeke, W., & Ritala, P. (2024). Legitimizing Digital Technologies in Open Innovation Ecosystems: Overcoming Adoption Barriers in Healthcare. California Management Review, 67(1), 45-68. https://doi.org/10.1177/00081256241276553
Class format: Conceptual overview + group reflection on governance dilemmas
15:15 – 15:30 | Coffee Break
15:30 – 17:00 | Session 4 – The Role of Public Authorities in Ecosystem Governance
This session explores how public authorities and regulators shape the governance of digital ecosystems, with a specific application to healthcare. Public actors are not just regulators or funders; increasingly, they co-design and co-govern ecosystems where hospitals, technology providers, insurers, and patients interact. The discussion highlights how governments can balance innovation, patient safety, data privacy, and cost efficiency while enabling ecosystem growth.
Themes:
The strategic role of public authorities in digital healthcare ecosystems
Regulatory frameworks, data governance, and trust building
Requirements to become an ecosystem orchestrator
The role of public actors and institutions in shaping ecosystem rules
Co-creation of value with hospitals, technology firms, and patients
This final session draws together the day’s lessons and extends them toward participants’ own research or professional practice. We explore how governance shapes long-term strategy, organizational design, and collaboration across boundaries. Participants will reflect on how ecosystem-based thinking can inform their work and what new questions arise in digitally mediated innovation settings.
Activity: In small groups, participants analyze how public authorities influence ecosystem governance in healthcare (e.g., through regulation, data governance, or co-orchestration with hospitals and MedTech firms). Each group will apply ecosystem governance principles to a healthcare case or their own research or experience, highlighting both opportunities and tensions.
Optional background readings:
Randhawa, K., Vanhaverbeke, W., & Ritala, P. (2024). Legitimizing Digital Technologies in Open Innovation Ecosystems: Overcoming Adoption Barriers in Healthcare. California Management Review, 67(1), 45-68. https://doi.org/10.1177/00081256241276553 (Original work published 2024)
Waeiss, Q. (2025). An ecosystem approach to governing commercial actors in healthcare AI, Policy Studies, 44(1), 137–152. https://doi.org/10.1080/01442872.2025.2497539
Seidman, G. (2024). Gabriel Seidman, Ahmad AlKasir, Kate Ricker, J. T. Lane, Anne B. Zink, and Michelle A. Williams (2024). Regulations and Funding to Create Enterprise Architecture for a Nationwide Health Data Ecosystem, American Journal of Public Health, 114, 209-217, https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307477