Date & Time
Friday, October 16, 09:00–17:30
Location
ESMT Berlin
Schlossplatz 1, 10178 Berlin, Germany
Sponsor
TEAM GLOBAL Chair for Disruptive Innovation
Registration Fees
- Non‑Member: $162
- SMS Member: $135
Event Overview
Join us for a this high-level academic-practitioner extension that examines how deep-tech industries (e.g., semiconductors, energy, life sciences) are reshaping strategy in response to growing geo-economic fragmentation and renewed industrial policy. It frames deep-tech innovation as a coordination challenge across firms, startups, investors, academia, and policymakers, where traditional assumptions about global scale, market access, and capital are increasingly constrained by political and regulatory forces.
The program begins with keynotes on deep-tech industry transitions, setting the stage for a discussion on “Is Global Strategy Over? Deep-Tech in a Fragmented World.” We’ll explore the strategies and struggle of deep-tech founders and managers, dive into deep-tech ecosystems in Germany and beyond and discuss regulation and ecosystem building in a practitioner-policy panel. This full-day event invites participants to discuss how firms can build and sustain competitive advantage amidst geopolitical complexity, regulatory divergence, and regionally anchored innovation systems. Confirmed speakers and panelists include Dietmar Harhoff (MPI), Kenneth Huang (NUS), Scott Stern (MIT) and Florenta Teodoridis (USC).
The day also includes a guided tour of the historic Staatsratsgebäude (former State Council of the GDR), where the SMS extension will take place. In the evening, enjoy breathtaking views from Berlin’s TV Tower and stay for dinner (not included).
Key Questions
- How can deeptech firms build an advantage when global scale is no longer guaranteed?
- How can ecosystems be coordinated across fragmented regions and institutions?
- How can firms manage combined technological, financial, and geopolitical uncertainty?
- How does industrial policy reshape where and how firms compete?
Agenda
08:30 – 09:00 | Registration & Coffee
09:00 – 09:15 | Welcome & Opening Remarks
09:15 – 10:00 | Keynote Address 1 (45 min incl. discussion):
- Dietmar Harhoff, Max Planck Institute (https://www.ip.mpg.de/de/personen/prof-dietmar-harhoff.html)
10:00 – 10:30 | Coffee Break
10:30 – 12:00 | Academic Panel: Is Global Strategy Over? Deep-Tech in a Fragmented World
- Florenta Teodoridis, USC (https://www.marshall.usc.edu/personnel/florenta-teodoridis)
- Kenneth Huang, NUS (https://discovery.nus.edu.sg/7073-kenneth-guanglih-huang)
- Hanna Hottenrott, ZEW (https://www.zew.de/team/hho)
- Francis de Vericourt, ESMT Berlin (https://esmt.berlin/person/francis-de-vericourt)
12:00 – 13:30 | Lunch break with Keynote by
- Scott Stern, MIT (https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/scott-stern)
13:30 – 14:45 | Startup panel
- Omar Fergani, Neoforge (https://neoforge.ai/)
- Amado Bautista, the CEO and Co-Founder of Qudora (https://qudora.com/)
- Holger Münchmeyer, Co-Founder and member of the board of NeutroGen Therapeutics – We are pioneering neutrophil cell therapies.
14:45 – 15:15 | Coffee Break
15:15 – 16:45 | Policy Maker Panel
- Dr. Christian Nagel – Co-Founder and General Manager of earlybird (https://earlybird.com/)
- Additional participants to be confirmed
16:45 – 17:00 | Concluding Reflections
17:15 – 17:45 | Guided Tour: ESMT’s historic building
19:00 | Conference Dinner (Optional, Pre-Registered)