Dr. Katrin Bauer presents sfs research at R&D Management 2026

The R&D Management Conference is a major international event focusing on innovation processes, technology development and organizational change. The 2026 conference at the University of Manchester, Alliance Manchester Business School, explored how creativity and resilience help organizations and societies navigate technological disruption. The event was organized by the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research.

At the conference, Dr. Katrin Bauer from the Social Research Center (sfs), Faculty of Social Sciences at TU Dortmund University, presented research on the uptake of social innovation in German higher education institutions. The study is conducted within the Platform for Social Innovations and Social Enterprises.

The presentation was part of the session “Innovation, People, Place, and Research: Strengthening the UK's Innovation Ecosystem.” While the session focused on the UK context, the paper introduced Germany as a case, offering a perspective on how universities engage with social innovation within different institutional settings.

The discussion with international scholars highlighted the role of universities in innovation ecosystems and provided valuable insights for the ongoing research at the sfs.