#7 edition · Sep 10–Sep 12, 2026

Milano 2026

Name: EERS Milano 2026 — 7th Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Research School
Start: 2026-09-10
End: 2026-09-12
Location: LIUC Cattaneo University

LIUC Cattaneo University

"From Districts to Ecosystems — Re-reading Territory as an Engine of Entrepreneurship"

7edition

10research tracks

3keynote speakers

11scientific committee

Submit a paper →Register to attend 📅 Add to calendar Original submission site ↗

About this edition

The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Research School is an annual gathering that brings together PhD candidates, early-career researchers, and senior scholars for intensive, constructive dialogue on entrepreneurial ecosystem research. The 7th edition returns to Italy and will be hosted by LIUC Cattaneo University in Castellanza, in the industrial heartland of Lombardy, approximately 30 km from Milan. EERS is designed as a research school (not only a conference): participants receive structured feedback through paper development workshops, engage in meet-the-editors sessions, attend keynotes and methods masterclasses, and join a curated networking programme.

Thematic focus · 2026

From Districts to Ecosystems — Re-reading Territory as an Engine of Entrepreneurship

EERS 2026 invites scholarship that bridges Marshallian heritage with ecosystem complexity, local embeddedness with global interconnection, and industrial legacy with digital reinvention. A distinctive feature of this edition is a deliberate theoretical dialogue between two traditions that have often evolved separately: the Italian industrial district literature (Becattini, Brusco, Piore & Sabel) and contemporary entrepreneurial ecosystem research (Spilling, Isenberg, Stam, Audretsch). Special challenge (encouraged, not required): authors may reflect on a "territory-as-actor" perspective. Does your ecosystem have a history? Does geography still matter? What does proximity — cognitive, social, institutional — do to entrepreneurial dynamics?

Topics of interest

Submissions are welcome across 10 thematic streams.

TOPIC 01

Territory, Place & Industrial Legacy

Industrial districts, clusters and regional systems of innovation as lenses for EE research.

TOPIC 02

Microfoundations of Ecosystem Dynamics

Individual mechanisms, cognition, behaviour, social interactions bridging micro and macro.

TOPIC 03

Ecosystem Resilience & Transformation

Longitudinal change, shock absorption, path dependency vs. path creation.

TOPIC 04

Digital Transformation & New Sectors

Platformisation, AI, data-driven entrepreneurship reshaping territorial ecosystems.

TOPIC 05

Inclusive, Ethical & Sustainable Ecosystems

Equity, diversity, sustainability transitions — who benefits (and who does not)?

TOPIC 06

Ecosystems Beyond the West

Global South, emerging economies, peripheral regions; new vocabularies and frameworks.

TOPIC 07

Policy, Governance & Institutional Design

Public strategy, universities, intermediaries, institutional architectures and failures.

TOPIC 08

Novel Methods for Ecosystem Research

Mixed-methods, network analysis, longitudinal designs, computational and qualitative innovations.

TOPIC 09

Entrepreneurial Finance & Resource Flows

Capital provisioning, venture capital geographies, alternative finance, resource circulation in ecosystems.

TOPIC 10

Entrepreneurship in the MENA Region (SBEJ PDW)

Dedicated track aligned with the SBEJ Special Issue on Entrepreneurship in the MENA Region.

Special PDW tracks

Paper Development Workshops

The Distretto Dialogue

Industrial District Theory Meets Ecosystem Research

A dedicated Paper Development Workshops (PDW) track welcoming papers that explicitly engage with territory, proximity, history, and/or the district–ecosystem comparison. Selected authors receive feedback from invited editors and discussants bridging the industrial organisation and entrepreneurship communities.

Entrepreneurship in the MENA Region

SBEJ Special Issue PDW Track

Track organised in accordance with the guest editors of the Small Business Economics Journal Special Issue on Entrepreneurship in the MENA Region. Selected papers receive developmental feedback and may be considered for fast-track at SBEJ.

📰 Publication opportunityPDW participants in the MENA track may be considered for the Small Business Economics Journal Special Issue on Entrepreneurship in the MENA Region.

Event highlights

🎤

Keynote speakers

Leading international scholars in EE research and territorial innovation.

📝

Paper Development Workshops

Including the dedicated Distretto Dialogue PDW track.

✍️

Meet the Editors

Small-group and one-to-one exchanges with journal editors.

🔬

Methods Masterclass

Novel and underused methods for EE research.

🏭

Field Visit (optional)

Visit to an active industrial district in the Varese/Brianza area.

🤝

Networking Programme

Curated lunches, coffee walks and structured peer exchanges.

🍷

Gala Dinner

Community evening celebrating scholarship and collaboration.

🏛

Milano Day Trip (optional)

Arrive early and explore Milan's innovation and design districts.

EERS Permanent Board

Curated by the EERS permanent team

Every edition of EERS is curated by the same standing team of international scholars who guarantee scientific continuity across hosts and years.

Erik Stam

Utrecht University

Niels Bosma

Utrecht University

Didier Chabaud

IAE Paris-Sorbonne

Christina Theodoraki

IAE Aix-Marseille

Grégory Guéneau

ADALIA Institute / OSE in Africa

Keynote speakers

David B. Audretsch

Indiana University

Saras Sarasvathy

Darden School of Business

Erik Stam

Utrecht University

Key dates

May 31, 2026Abstract submission deadline

Jun 15, 2026Acceptance notifications

Jul 31, 2026Early-bird registration closes

Aug 15, 2026Full paper deadline (PDW track participants)

Aug 25, 2026Final programme released

Sep 10–Sep 12, 2026Conference at LIUC Cattaneo University · Milano, Italy

Submission instructions

Abstract length: 1,500 to 2,500 words (excluding references). Language: English.

Structured format

1.Introduction & Research Question
2.Theoretical Background
3.Methodology & Data (empirical and conceptual papers welcome)
4.Results / Preliminary Findings (or expected results for work-in-progress)
5.Contribution, Implications & Limitations
6.Territorial Reflection (optional — especially for the Distretto Dialogue PDW)

Submit your paper →

Scientific committee

Erik Stam

Utrecht University

Niels Bosma

Utrecht University

Didier Chabaud

IAE Paris-Sorbonne Business School

Christina Theodoraki

IAE Aix-Marseille

Grégory Guéneau

ADALIA Institute / OSE in Africa

David B. Audretsch

Indiana University Bloomington

Angelo Cavallo

Politecnico di Milano

Massimo Colombo

Politecnico di Milano

Ben Spigel

Babson College

Adnan Maalaoui

Prince Mohammad Bin Salman College (MBSC)

Massimo Riva

LIUC Cattaneo University

Programme

Thursday, September 10, 2026

07:00–08:30breakWelcome Coffee & Badging📍 tbd

08:30–10:00keynoteOpening keynote · tbd📍 Aula Magna

10:00–12:30sessionParallel tracks 1 & 2📍 Aulas 101 & 102

10:00–11:01breakCoffee Break📍 tbd

11:00–12:30sessionParallel tracks 3 & 4📍 tbd

12:30–14:00breakLunch📍 tbd

14:00–15:30sessionParallel tracks 5 & 6📍 tbd

15:30–16:30breakCoffee Break📍 tbd

16:30–18:00keynoteKeynote📍 tbd

Friday, September 11, 2026

07:00–08:30breakWelcome Coffee📍 tbd

08:30–10:00workshopInteractive Workshop📍 tbd

10:00–11:00breakCoffee Break📍 tbd

11:00–12:30sessionParallel tracks 7 & 8📍 tbd

13:00–17:00socialComo Lake visit📍 bus

20:00–23:00socialGala dinner📍 Villa Cagnola, Gazzada

Saturday, September 12, 2026

07:00–08:30breakWelcome Coffee📍 tbd

08:30–09:30keynoteMeet the Editors📍 tbd

09:30–11:00sessionParallel tracks 9 & 10📍 tbd

11:00–12:00breakFinal Coffee Break📍 tbd

Venue

LIUC Cattaneo University · Corso Matteotti 22, 21053 Castellanza (VA), Lombardy, Italy

LIUC is located in a restored early-20th-century cotton mill (cotonificio), offering a uniquely evocative setting for a school focused on territory, industry, and transformation.

Castellanza is about 30 km north-west of Milan, reachable by direct train from Milano Cadorna in ~45 minutes. Milan airports — Malpensa (25 min by car) and Linate (50 min) — are both within easy reach. Participants arrange their own travel and accommodation; a curated accommodation list is provided to registered participants.

Where to stay

A curated accommodation list will be sent to registered participants. Suggested base: Busto Arsizio or Varese (close to LIUC) or central Milano (with daily 45-min train).

Attendance fees

Fees include access to all sessions, PDWs, lunches, coffee breaks, networking activities and the gala dinner. Early-bird: €410 (until 15 July). Standard: €480.

See registration options →