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.
Submission types
It is possible to submit full papers (max. 30 pages excluding bibliography, graphics, and tables) to the G-Forum. Authors of full paper submissions will receive a developmental review from members of the G-Forum Review Board and can qualify for a approx. 20-minute presentation plus a 10-minute discussion. However, you can also submit proposals for presentations as an abstract. An abstract should not exceed 1,000 words. Short abstracts will qualify for shorter presentations (10 minutes) or poster presentations.
Please submit your full papers and abstracts as an anonymized pdf document (without author information) by May 10, 2025 via our G-Forum conference tool.
Guidelines for submission (full paper and abstracts)
Research-and practice-oriented papers can be submitted. Please register as a user of the
G-Forum conference tool. Please do not forget to upload your anonymized submission as a PDF document. Submissions are possible in German or English. Submissions of scientific contributions should ideally be structured as follows:
- Problem definition (research gap / objective)
- Theoretical foundation
- Methodology / empirical research context
- Results
- Implications for entrepreneurship research and practice
Submissions of practical contributions should include a clear starting point, objectives, results, and implications for practice.
Review process
The selection of full papers and abstracts to be presented at the conference will be based on a double-blind review process. Only full paper submissions will receive a developmental review. The G-Forum review board is responsible for the review process. We will inform the authors on the acceptance of their submissions in mid-July 2025.
Awards
On the 28th G-Forum 2025 in Stuttgart, various Best Paper Awards are presented for the following target groups and topics of the FGF:
- KSG Entrepreneurship Research Award 2025
The award, endowed with 4,000 euros and open to topics in the field of entrepreneurship, is supported by the Karl Schlecht Foundation. - Entrepreneurship Research Newcomer-Award 2025
The prize, endowed with 1,000 euros and open to topics in the field of entrepreneurship, is funded by the Stiftung für die Wissenschaft der Sparkassen Finanzgruppe and is explicitly aimed at doctoral candidates, habilitation candidates, and junior professors (lead author or main person responsible). - Family Business and Mittelstand Research Award 2025
The prize, endowed with 1,000 euros and open to topics in the areas of “Family Business” and “Mittelstand”, is supported by the EQUA Foundation.
With a full-paper submission to the G-Forum 2025, participants are automatically registered for one of the possible award nominations. Information about the awards is on our FGF homepage. We also recommend following the news within our German FGF newsletter.
Doctoral Colloquium
On September 17th, 2025, we invite interested doctoral students in the fields of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Medium-sized companies to a doctoral colloquium. Experienced researchers introduce the following questions and themes:
- How to successfully master a PhD
- How to publish my doctoral research in reputable academic journals
- An introduction to the FGF structured doctoral program class of 2026
Moreover, selected doctoral students will have the opportunity to present their ongoing research projects in a developmental workshop atmosphere and to discuss them with experienced scholars. A proposal should contain a two- to three-page description with the following information:
- Topic
- Research question(s)
- Research design
- Hypothesis (hypotheses) and
- (If available) first results and information about questions for the colloquium.
Please register by email to the FGF office (info@fgf-ev.de) by July 30th, 2025, using the keyword “Doctoral Colloquium 2025”. Participation in the doctoral colloquium is linked to registration for the G-Forum 2025.
Conference Fees
- Members of FGF: € 340, –
- Non-members of FGF including FGF membership*: € 460, –
- Non-members of FGF without FGF membership: € 490, –
(* The participation fee already includes the amount of your FGF membership for 1 year (120,- Euro for 2026). The conditions from the association’s statutes apply.)
The conference fees include participation in all conference sessions, conference materials, and all meals during the conference (coffee and lunch breaks) and participation in the conference dinner.
Students
A limited number of students (no doctoral students and no research associates) will be able to participate in the conference for a fee of € 100, -. Applications (informal request, copy of student ID card) must be sent to the email address info@fgf-ev.de. The decision will be communicated by email in September.
Overview of important dates
Doctoral Colloquium
September 17h, 2025
Registrations with the subject “Doctoral Colloquium 2025” by July 30th, 2025, by email to info@fgf-ev.de
Conference
September 18th – 19th, 2025
Submission of abstracts and full papers before May 10th, 2025, via our G-Forum conference tool, notification of acceptance: mid-July 2025
Registration deadline for participants: September 15th, 2025
Website
Accommodation
Hotels near the conference location (Stuttgart) are available in various price ranges. Please reserve your hotel early; shortly before the conference it will be very difficult to find free accommodation due to numerous other events in the Stuttgart area.
We look forward to welcoming you in Stuttgart!
Contact
Prof. Dr. Matthias Baum
Chair of Entrepreneurship and
Digital Business Models
University of Bayreuth
Prof. Dr. Alexander Brem
International Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research (ENI)
University of Stuttgart
Prof. Dr. Nils Högsdal
Corporate Finance & Entrepreneurship
Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart (HdM)
Prof. Dr. Katharina Hölzle
Institute for Ergonomics and Technology Management IAT at the University of Stuttgart and institute director Fraunhofer IAO
Prof. Dr. Andreas Kuckertz
Chair in Entrepreneurship
University of Hohenheim
Organizer
FGF – Forschungsnetzwerk
Entrepreneurship, Innovation und Mittelstand e.V.
c/o Ulrich Knaup
Gartenstraße 86
D-47798 Krefeld
Phone: +49 2151 777-508
E-Mail: info@fgf-ev.de
Internet
Local organization
Prof. Dr. Nils Högsdal
Corporate Finance & Entrepreneurship
Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart (HdM)
E-Mail: hoegsdal@hdm-stuttgart.deInternet