Cambridge–TUM
Symposium
Building the Bridge: From Ecosystem Research to Ecosystem Practice
A curated two-day symposium bringing together research, business, policy, and ecosystem leaders to build, scale, and sustain high-impact innovation ecosystems.
Why this symposium, why now
Business ecosystems are increasingly central to how organizations compete and create value.
Dedicated forums for rigorous, practical ecosystem thinking remain scarce.
The symposium bridges academic insight with real-world strategy.
Designed for depth over breadth: ~100 curated participants, two focused days, and a deliberate mix of keynotes, workshops, and roundtables.
A clear, shared mission
“Translate ecosystem research into actionable tools and collaborations that enable stakeholders to build, scale, and sustain high-impact innovation ecosystems.”
- 01.Translate ecosystem and innovation literature into business-friendly frameworks.
- 02.Extract lessons learned from leading ecosystems.
- 03.Establish ecosystem strategy and ecosystem-level thinking as a mainstream approach.
- 04.Build a cross-sector community across academia, industry, policy, startups, and investors.
Two days. Approximately 100 participants. Deliberate depth.
A curated, high-impact format combining keynotes for inspiration, workshops for application, and roundtables for co-creation — with structured networking throughout.
Keynotes
Inspiration from leading scholars and practitioners shaping ecosystem thought.
Workshops
Hands-on application of frameworks to live strategic challenges.
Roundtables
Co-creation across sectors on the questions that matter most.
Community Building
Structured networking and lasting cross-sector relationships.
A balanced mix across sectors
Approximately 100 curated participants, intentionally drawn from six communities to enable rigorous, practice-oriented dialogue.
Academia
Leading ecosystem and innovation scholars.
Startups
Founders and scale-up leaders shaping new markets.
Ecosystem actors
Builders, programs, and intermediary institutions.
Corporates
Innovation and strategy leaders from major firms.
Investors
Venture, growth, and impact capital across stages.
Policymakers
Public-sector leaders from Germany, the UK, and Europe.
Tangible artifacts. Lasting community.
- 01High-level peer dialogue across sectors
- 02Structured collaboration opportunities
- 03Community building, potentially through a LinkedIn or WhatsApp community
- 04White paper on lessons learned
- 05Practical toolkit for managers
- 06Horizon Europe 2027 collaboration ideas
- 07Foundation for an ongoing innovation ecosystem network
An evolving, cross-sector community
The list below is illustrative and evolving. Final institutional participation is subject to confirmation.
Hosts & academic anchors
Foundations & public bodies
Leading universities
Industry, capital & policy
A joint Cambridge–TUM initiative
Isabell Welpe
Technical University of Munich
Theresa Treffers
Technical University of Munich
Chris Coleridge
University of Cambridge
Philipp Sonnenschein
Technical University of Munich
Henri Stehle
Technical University of Munich
An invitation, by introduction
Participation is curated to enable focused, high-quality dialogue across research, business, policy, startups, and ecosystem institutions. For participation or inquiries, please contact the operational team.
23 & 24 March 2027
Cambridge, United Kingdom
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