Call for Papers (Submissions now open)
Conference tool (registration and submission)
The 28th Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and SMEs
(G-Forum) will be held in Stuttgart from September 17th to 19th, 2025. The lead partners of the FGF – Forschungsnetzwerk Entrepreneurship, Innovation und Mittelstand e.V. are the Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart, University of Stuttgart and the University of Hohenheim. The hosts are Prof. Dr. Nils Högsdal, Corporate Finance and Entrepreneurship and Vice Rector Innovation: Research, Further Education, Entrepreneurship and Internationalization at the Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart, Prof. Dr. Alexander Brem, Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research, Endowed Chair for Entrepreneurship in Technology and Digitalization at the University of Stuttgart, Prof. Dr. Katharina Hölzle, director of the IAT University of Stuttgart and Fraunhofer IAO. IAT of the University of Stuttgart and Prof. Dr. Andreas Kuckertz, Chair in Entrepreneurship, Institute of Marketing & Management Entrepreneurship Research Group at the University of Hohenheim.
Keynotes
Renowned keynote speakers will enrich the conference program. We will provide further details on this later.
Theme
The overarching theme of the G-Forum 2025 in Stuttgart is:
“It takes an Ecosystem to raise a startup”
Entrepreneurial success is rooted in collaborative ecosystems, where diverse stakeholders—universities, startups, corporates, and public institutions—work together to foster innovation and drive economic growth. Universities play a pivotal role as hubs of knowledge creation, talent development, and interdisciplinary collaboration, providing the foundation for startup ecosystems to thrive. Programs like the EXIST Startup Factories aim to align academic excellence with entrepreneurial ambition to create a systematic foundation for fostering high-potential startups. Research on these dynamic ecosystems and their impact on entrepreneurship will form the core of the discussions at the G-Forum 2025, offering insights into best practices and emerging trends.
Topics
In addition to submissions addressing the guiding theme of the conference, the conference organizers expressly welcome any submission that corresponds to the three main thematic fields of the FGF e.V. These are the topics:
- Entrepreneurship
- Innovation
- SMEs.
In this way, the G-Forum will fulfil its role as a central platform for the scientific community to exchange views on the current state of scientific discussion.
Science and practice
To enhance the exchange between science and practice, submissions “from both worlds” are expressly desired. Topic-specific sessions are offered based on submissions from science or practice. There will be two independent review processes to meet the different requirements of submissions from both realms.
Languages
The conference languages are German and English.