29th G-Forum – Annual Conference on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

BTU President Prof. Dr Gesine Grande will open the 29th Interdisciplinary Annual Conference on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (G-Forum 2026 for short). The conference is being jointly hosted by the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU) and the Medical University of Lusatia – Carl Thiem (MUL – CT) in Cottbus.

Overcoming boundaries between technology, health and society

Under the title ‘Overcoming Boundaries – Interdisciplinary Entrepreneurship at the Interface of Technology, Health and Society’, the G-Forum 2026 focuses on the connection between entrepreneurial practice and innovation in the healthcare sector. In addition to traditional high-tech start-ups, the presentations will also examine new forms of entrepreneurial self-employment in the health and care sectors – ranging from doctors’ practices and complex medical care centres (MVZ) to innovative start-ups in care and therapy. The focus is on questions such as the role that entrepreneurial skills play in shaping new care models, how existing care structures influence the diffusion of innovation, and the specific challenges faced by start-up ecosystems in the highly regulated healthcare sector.

BTU Prof. Dr Gesine Grande emphasises: “The major challenges of our time cannot be solved within individual disciplines. Genuine transformation occurs where bridges are built – between science and practice, technology and society, research and entrepreneurship. This applies in particular to the healthcare sector, where technologies such as artificial intelligence, telemedicine and data-driven applications are fundamentally transforming care.”

“The future of the healthcare and care system is being shaped decisively by research – within complex contexts and at a rapid pace. What is crucial is how we combine innovations from technology and digitalisation with those from medicine, nursing and other aspects of care, whilst applying an entrepreneurial mindset. On the other hand, it is important to subsequently align the implementation of these findings with people’s needs and requirements,” says Prof. Dr Eckhard Nagel, Chairman of the Executive Board at MUL – CT. “The G-Forum provides an important platform for meaningful international and interprofessional exchange. It is only through this integration – which we are already implementing in an exemplary manner in Cottbus across several projects – that the future of healthcare for the Lusatia region and beyond, which we have jointly set as our goal, will emerge.

“We want to raise the profile of start-up, innovation and SME research and foster networking both nationally and internationally,” says Prof. Dr Diemo Urbig, organiser and member of the executive committee of the Research Network for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and SMEs e.V. “The G-Forum facilitates the personal exchange that gives rise to new ideas and collaborations.” 

Lusatia as a real-world laboratory for structural change

The region is undergoing one of the most profound processes of structural change in Europe – transforming from a coal and energy hub into an emerging centre for research and innovation. “As Brandenburg’s only university of technology, we feel a particular responsibility to play an active role in shaping this transformation,” adds Prof. Grande. “The university sees itself as a scientific anchor and driving force behind this transformation, deliberately bringing together technological, medical and societal perspectives – for example through its research profiles ‘Global Change and Transformation Processes’ and ‘Health and Life Sciences’, as well as its collaboration with the MUL-CT. Together with people from Lusatia and from all over the world, we are creating space for everyone who is courageous, who recognises opportunities and who wants to shape this transformation.”

Entrepreneurship is firmly embedded in the BTU’s knowledge transfer strategy and forms one of its four strategic pillars. Through its Founders’ Service, its involvement in STARTBLOCK B2 and the development of the Lausitz Science Park, the university actively supports founders. Initial successes have already emerged in the form of spin-offs from the ‘Innovationscampus Elektronik und Mikrosensorik’ (iCampµs) project, as well as initiatives such as EIZ SPARK.

International perspectives and high-profile keynote speeches 

The doctoral candidate and postdoctoral programme begins on 16 September at the Medical University of Lusatia – Carl Thiem (MUL – CT). The main conference on 17 and 18 September will take place in the Central Lecture Theatre Building (ZHG) on the main campus of the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU).

This marks the first time that this long-standing conference – which has been bringing together researchers and practitioners from German-speaking countries since its foundation by the FGF in 1987 – will be held in Cottbus. The G-Forum 2026 will be attended by numerous international guests as well as academics from renowned universities abroad. The local hosts are Prof. Dr Diemo Urbig (chair of the Department of Business Administration, in particular focusing on empirical business research and transformation) at the BTU and Prof. Dr Eckhard Nagel (Chairman of the Board) at the Medical University of Lusatia – Carl Thiem.

The G-Forum 2026 brings research from all over the world to Cottbus. The programme will feature academic papers to which authors from institutions in 18 countries across six continents have contributed. In this way, the conference combines its strong roots in the German-speaking world with international perspectives and research collaborations.

International scientists are also actively shaping the programme on site. Prof. Brian S. Anderson from the University of Kansas (USA) will, amongst other things, take part in a panel discussion on scientific publishing and contribute his expertise to the doctoral candidate and post-doctoral programme. The international focus is also evident in the keynote speeches: With Prof. Phillip H. Phan, Ph.D., from the renowned Johns Hopkins University (USA) and Prof. Dr Ole Petter Ottersen from the Medical University of Lausitz – Carl Thiem, the organisers have secured the participation of two internationally renowned academics. Ottersen was previously President of the Karolinska Institutet and Rector of the University of Oslo.

Best Paper Awards

Five research prizes will be awarded as part of the G-Forum: the KSG Entrepreneurship Research Award, worth 4,000 euros; the Entrepreneurship Research Newcomer Award; the Family Business and SME Research Award; the Norbert Szyperski Technology and Innovation Management Award; and a Student Award for outstanding Master’s theses.

About the G-Forum

The G-Forum is the main annual academic conference of the FGF – Forschungsnetzwerk Entrepreneurship, Innovation und Mittelstand e.V. (Research Network for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and SMEs) and is regarded as one of the leading platforms for entrepreneurship research in the German-speaking world. In 2026, BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg will host the conference for the first time in Cottbus, in collaboration with the Medical University of Lusatia – Carl Thiem.