Cross-border Entrepreneurship and Innovation for Smart Growth in the BSR

The symposium and the doctoral seminar ‘Cross-border Entrepreneurship and Innovation for Smart Growth in the Baltic Sea Region draws on the issues highlighted in the EU Master Plan for Blue Growth in the Baltic Sea Region, by focusing on blue and green economy in which context the small and medium-sized enterprises of the region operate. It is important to address the growth challenges and potential of Baltic Sea Region SMEs in a comprehensive way (including blue and green areas), and look at the cross-border cooperation opportunities.

That is why the symposium and the doctoral seminar is organised in the framework of a bigger conference ‘KITAB2016: Knowledge, Innovation and Technology Across Borders: Developing the Research Agenda’ that focuses on the issues of international knowledge and technology transfer to advance innovation-related activities of enterprises in EU and other countries (e.g. India, Russia).

1. Symposium and doctoral seminar held at Tallinn University of Technology in the framework of KITAB2016, 27.-28.06.2016.
2. Publication of 6 conference articles in special issue of the journal Research in Economics and Business: Central and Eastern Europe by the end of 2016.
3. Establishing contacts and initiating a new project with German and Baltic partners during the meeting at the Tallinn University of Technology, continuing the project preparations electronically.

There were 6 presentations from Baltic and German professors and doctoral students in the symposium ‘Cross-border Entrepreneurship and Innovation for Smart Growth in the Baltic Sea Region’. 28 persons took part in the special track in the framework of the KITAB2016 conference. The participants were from Germany and from the Baltic countries, but also from other countries in EU and elsewhere (India, Russia).

8 Baltic doctoral students presented their work during the doctoral seminar. Their doctoral thesis research agendas were reviewed by 6 professors, mainly from Baltic states and Germany. The doctoral seminar was open to all doctoral students.

There were all-together about 50 participants in the conference Knowledge, innovation and technology across borders: developing the research agenda (KITAB2016).