G-Forum conference 2023 – Darmstadt (Germany)

  • G-Forum 2023 Video (4Min.)
  • Photographic Impressions (downloads possible until November 4th 2023)
  • Program
  • G-Forum conferencetool (Registration)
  • Hotels / Accommodations

The 26th Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and SMEs
(G-Forum) will be held in Darmstadt from September 27th to 29th, 2023. The lead partner of the FGF e.V. is the Technical University of Darmstadt. Conference presidents are Professor Dr. Carolin Bock, Head of the Department of Entrepreneurship, and Professor Dr. Alexander Kock, Head of Technology and Innovation Management, at TU Darmstadt.

Theme

The overarching theme of the G-Forum 2023 in Darmstadt is:

“The Power of Resilience for Innovation and Entrepreneurship”

Crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic or the Ukrainian war have shaken us in the past two years and confronted our society, politics, and economy with unprecedented challenges. Profound and unexpected crises like these are rare – but as we have painfully realized – they are still possible and might become more frequent due to globalization and increased speed of societal change. Other crises, such as climate change, are constant challenges for our society. Dealing with uncertainty and change has always been part of the success of entrepreneurial thinking. However, recent crises have brought a much higher degree of uncertainty than in many past scenarios. These events also required companies to adopt a new form of crisis management. In this context, the topic of resilience has gained importance. Within this context, resilience refers not only to the maintenance or the fastest possible restoration of the original state (“bounce back”) during crises but also to a further improvement and increased adaptability of original systems (“bounce forward”).

Entrepreneurial companies have always been drivers of innovation and inherently want to improve continually. They often view crises as an opportunity for innovation to emerge from such a situation strengthened and more resilient. Often, young and innovative companies, can anticipate crises better than established and less innovative organizations. Our vulnerability to crises – for example, through cyber-attacks – is increased by the high use of digital technologies. On the other hand, digital technologies also allow us to react quickly to a disaster, establishing emergency systems, or creating new forms of communication.

Therefore, the G-Forum 2023 is dedicated to various questions arising from this background for science and practice, among others:

  • How can SMEs and young companies increase their resilience capability?
  • Which innovations increase our society’s resilience?
  • What strategies, tools, and instruments make innovative companies more resilient against crises?
  • How are individual, team-based, and organizational resilience related?
  • How can organizations and teams build resilience as short- or long-term capability?
  • How can business models increase resilience?
  • What is the context for the effectiveness of resilience (is resilience only helpful in crises or also in stable conditions)?
  • What are the individual consequences of working in young, resilient companies (e.g., motivation, satisfaction, innovation behavior, entrepreneurial orientation)?
  • Which management concepts allow companies more resilience in crises?
  • In which fields are innovations created for more resilience?
  • How can resilience be promoted and anchored in business culture?
  • Which negative consequences come with increased resilience?
  • Which context factors influence the positive/negative influence of resilience?

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 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, 2023 (extended submission deadline May 31st, 2023) 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 end-July / begin August 2023.

Awards

On the 26th G-Forum 2023 in Darmstadt, various Best Paper Awards are presented for the following target groups and topics of the FGF:

  1. KSG Entrepreneurship Research Award 2023
    The award, endowed with 4,000 euros and open to topics in the field of entrepreneurship, is supported by the Karl Schlecht Foundation.
  2. Entrepreneurship Research Newcomer-Award 2023
    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).
  3. Family Business and Mittelstand Research Award 2023
    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 2023, 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 27th, 2023, 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 2024

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 Ulrich Knaup (knaup@fgf-ev.de) by July 30th, 2023, using the keyword “Doctoral Colloquium 2023”. Participation in the doctoral colloquium is linked to registration for the G-Forum.

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). 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 knaup@fgf-ev.de. The decision will be communicated by email in September.

Overview of important dates

Doctoral Colloquium

September 27th, 2023

Registrations with the subject “Doctoral Colloquium 2023” by July 30th, 2023, by email to knaup@fgf-ev.de

Conference

September 28th – 29th, 2023

Submission of abstracts and full papers before May 10th, 2023 (extended submission deadline May 31st, 2023), via our G-Forum conference tool, notification of acceptance: mid-July 2023

Registration deadline for participants: September 15th, 2023

Accommodation

Hotels close to the conference venue (TU Darmstadt), are available in various price ranges. Please make your hotel reservation early.

We look forward to welcoming you in Darmstadt!

Contact:

Responsible for the conference program:

Prof. Dr. Matthias Baum
Chair of Entrepreneurship and
Digital Business Models
University of Bayreuth

Prof. Dr. Jörn Block
Chair in Management
University of Trier

Prof. Dr. Carolin Bock
Chair for Entrepreneurship
Technical University of Darmstadt

Professor Dr. Alexander Kock
Chair for Technology and Innovation Management
Technical University of Darmstadt

Prof. Dr. Andreas Kuckertz
Chair in Entrepreneurship
University of Hohenheim
__________________________________________________________________

Organizer
Förderkreis Gründungs-Forschung e.V. (FGF)
c/o Ulrich Knaup
Gartenstraße 86
DE-47798 Krefeld
Phone: +49 2151 777-508
E-Mail: knaup@fgf-ev.de
Internet: http://www.fgf-ev.de
 
Local organization
Prof. Dr. Carolin Bock
Technische Universität Darmstadt
Fachgebietsleiterin Entrepreneurship
E-Mail: bock@ent.tu-darmstadt.de
Internet: https://www.ent.tu-darmstadt.de/das_fachgebiet_ent/index.de.jsp