Climate Engine Minitrack “Beyond Growth: Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Transition toward Sustainable Regional Futures” at the NEO Entrepreneurship Conference 2026

Climate Engine is proud to highlight a success story demonstrating how international scientific collaboration can advance knowledge exchange on sustainable entrepreneurship, regional resilience, and climate-oriented innovation ecosystems.

The minitrack “Beyond Growth: Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Transition toward Sustainable Regional Futures” was initiated within the Climate Engine project and integrated into the NEO Entrepreneurship Conference 2026 as one of its thematic sessions. The conference was organized by Ștefan cel Mare University of Suceava, Romania, between 2 and 6 June 2026.

The minitrack provided a platform for researchers and practitioners to exchange knowledge on how entrepreneurial ecosystems can support sustainable regional development through innovation, digitalization, and cross-sector collaboration. The discussions focused on the role of universities, businesses, public institutions, and civil society in fostering purpose-driven entrepreneurship and resilient regional ecosystems.

Key themes included circular economy, industrial symbiosis, green transition, governance, sustainability indicators, and digital tools for supporting ecosystem resilience. The minitrack also encouraged international collaboration and interdisciplinary research, contributing to the objectives of the Climate Engine project while enriching the scientific programme of the NEO Entrepreneurship Conference.

Selected papers from the minitrack will be considered for publication in the Special Issue “The Rise of Neo-Entrepreneurship: Redefining Business for a New Era” of Sustainability journal.

Climate Engine’s Contribution

Climate Engine provided the framework for developing and launching the minitrack, bringing together project partners to shape its thematic focus on sustainable regional development and entrepreneurial ecosystems.

The project fostered international collaboration among universities and research institutions, encouraged knowledge exchange on climate-related innovation and sustainability, and created opportunities for researchers to disseminate project-related results.

Through this initiative, Climate Engine strengthened networking, promoted interdisciplinary research, and increased the visibility of the project’s objectives within an international scientific conference.

Outcomes and Impact

The minitrack successfully provided an international forum for research exchange on sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems, regional resilience, and innovation-driven development.

The scientific programme included 12 in-person paper presentations and a plenary keynote lecture delivered by Dr. Miika Kajanus from Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Finland, entitled “Impact Pathway: Enabling Value-Focused Adaptive Portfolio Planning under Uncertainty.”

The event brought together researchers and academics from eight countries: Lithuania, Georgia, Albania, Italy, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Romania, and Finland. It involved representatives from ten universities and research institutions, including four Climate Engine partner institutions.

Participating institutions included Ștefan cel Mare University of Suceava, Romania; NSC “Institute of Agriculture of NAAS”, Ukraine; Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, Ukraine; Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Finland; the Romanian Academy, Romania; the School of Advanced Studies of the Romanian Academy, Romania; the Technical University of Moldova, Republic of Moldova; Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Georgia; Šiauliai State Higher Education Institution, Lithuania; and Niccolò Cusano University, Italy.

The participation of Climate Engine partners alongside a diverse group of international higher education and research institutions enhanced interdisciplinary dialogue, facilitated the dissemination of research findings, and strengthened transnational academic collaboration.

The minitrack contributed to expanding the project’s scientific network, increasing the visibility of Climate Engine within the international research community, and fostering future cooperation in sustainable entrepreneurship, regional innovation ecosystems, and climate-oriented development.

Strengthening International Dialogue on Sustainable Regional Futures

This success story illustrates how Climate Engine supports international academic collaboration and contributes to the development of research communities focused on climate innovation, entrepreneurship, and regional transformation.

By initiating and integrating a dedicated minitrack into the NEO Entrepreneurship Conference 2026, Climate Engine created a focused space for interdisciplinary dialogue on the future of entrepreneurial ecosystems. The initiative strengthened the project’s scientific visibility and helped connect researchers, institutions, and ideas across Europe and beyond.

Conference programme: https://neoentrepreneurship.usv.ro/index.php/neo/program2026