Responsible Innovation Summit at the Faculty of Business and Economics

Joint action by business and society

As a result of advancing digitalisation and climate change, the economy and society are increasingly confronted with changing framework conditions that make responsible and sustainable innovation increasingly necessary. This affects society, politics, companies and private individuals alike - everyone is called upon to act together. The Faculty of Business and Economics therefore hosts the fifth public Responsible Innovation Summit on Thursday, 11 June 2026, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Central Lecture Hall Building on the campus of the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen. The alumni conference offers a discussion forum to address the topic of innovative capacity from various perspectives and the relevant issues.

The conference aims to provide a networking platform for politicians, businesspeople, students, alumni and members of the public. During lectures and workshops, representatives from various companies' management teams and boards discuss topics such as sustainable value creation in agriculture, ‘Data Science in Practice’ and ‘Sustainable Leadership: How Top Jobs Are Really Filled'. Alumni and professors of the faculty organise the individual events.

In the morning, Dr Regina Ruppert (Managing Director of Selaestus GmbH) and Dr Björn Hinderlich (Partner at Mercer) will deliver keynote speeches on “The New Leadership Competency Model” and “Work without jobs - Are skills the new currency in the labour market?”

In addition, students will present the results of their seminar, 'Responsible Innovation in Theory and Practice', at a poster session. During the course, they have examined the various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations from practical and scientific perspectives. They present topics of their choice on posters, such as implementation and sustainability strategies in companies, the development of sustainable products, and the influence on consumer behaviour.

The afternoon's panel discussion focusses on the topic of 'reducing bureaucracy'. The discussion is joined by Dr Achim Dilling (Chancellor of Ruhr University Bochum), Dinah Stollwerck-Bauer (Chief Executive of AGV Mitte e.V.) and Prof. Dr Kilian Bizer (Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics and holder of the Chair of Economic Policy and SME Research).

From 10 p.m., professors from the faculty perform as DJs at Club Savoy. The entire proceeds from the tickets are donated to social causes.

The Faculty of Business and Economics organises the "Profs@Turntables" event together with the Lions Club Göttingen and the Savoy as the conclusion of the Responsible Innovation Summit.

The Responsible Innovation Summit is an alumni-sponsored event for companies, founders, scientists and students alike and is held under the motto of sustainable development and transformation. "Responsible Innovation", i.e. the idea of enlightened, responsible innovation activity by economic actors (individuals or organisations), forms the overarching guiding principle of the faculty in research and teaching. The conference is organised with the kind support of KWS Saat SE and Sartorius.

Further information about registration, the programme and the speakers: https://ris-goettingen.de/ (in German)

The event will be held in German.