DRUID25 Professional Development Workshops (PDWs)
Professional development workshops (PDWs) are focused, user driven sessions offering a way of sharing ideas, knowledge and expertise with peers in the DRUID community and develop new ideas and projects.
PDW1: Human capital for a sustainable future
Wednesday, June 25, 9:00-12:00 (L1060)
Free access for all delegates to DRUID25. Participation in the second part of the PDW is limited to those whose research proposal has been accepted by the organizers. Contact: Christian Grimpe, cg.si@cbs.dk
Organizers: Christoph Grimpe (Copenhagen Business School), Vera Rocha (Copenhagen Business School)
Speakers: Laura Doering (Rotman School of Management), Martin Goosen (Old Dominion University), Ali Mohammadi (Copenhagen Business School), Kate Odziemkowska (Rotman School of Management), Henry Sauermann (ESMT)
Individuals and the skills, knowledge, and experience they possess, i.e. their human capital, play a key role in helping societies address the grand challenges of our time, such as the green transition, digital transformation, inequality, or poverty. Prior research in innovation, entrepreneurship, and strategy has studied issues related to the human capital of inventors, entrepreneurs, managers, scientists, immigrants, as well as to the role of networks, crowds, or genders in driving a sustainable future. Questions related to human capital are at the center of interest to the DRUID community, and the PDW’s primary goal is to stimulate and advance excellent research dealing with individual decisions or outcomes. The PDW provides both stimulating presentations on novel research avenues and facilitates an exchange of ideas, theory, methodologies, and data among the participants.
The PDW is organized in two parts. In the first part, we invite five renowned speakers to share their thoughts on recent and future research on human capital for a sustainable future, providing a starting point for a panel discussion. In the second part, participants will be allocated to roundtables, chaired by each of the speakers, where they can present and receive feedback on a research project they are working on. Whereas the first part of the PDW is open to all DRUID attendants, the participation in the second part is limited to those whose research proposal has been accepted by the organizers.
The PDW is co-sponsored by the People Hub at the Department of Strategy and Innovation at Copenhagen Business School and by the journal Industry and Innovation.
PDW2: Theory and practice of business innovation impact assessment
Wednesday, June 25, 9:00-12:00 (L1010)
Free access for all delegates to DRUID25. No further registration required.
Organizers: Dr. Rashid Nikzad (Carleton University), Dr. Tatevik Poghosyan (Federal Government of Canada), Dr. Claudia De Fuentes (Saint Mary's University)
Speakers: Dr. Rashid Nikzad (Carleton University), Dr. Tatevik Poghosyan (Federal Government of Canada), Dr. Claudia De Fuentes (Saint Mary's University), Dr. Dan Herman (Jupiter Productions, Inc.)
Innovation-driven growth is a core objective in advanced economies, with business innovation recognized as a key driver of productivity and competitiveness. Governments implement a range of programs—such as grants, tax credits, and advisory services—to support firm-level innovation. Evaluating the effectiveness of these interventions requires robust impact assessment. Beyond measuring outcomes, impact evaluations help clarify causal relationships, guide program design, and promote accountability. They are essential tools for policy learning and refinement.
This PDW seeks to build a space for cross-sectoral dialogue on the theory and practice of impact assessment in innovation policy. It emphasizes the importance of empirical methods and evidence in evaluating business innovation programs, particularly those aimed at enhancing productivity in OECD economies. By bringing together perspectives from academia, public institutions, and the private sector, the PDW aims to provoke critical conversations about methodological choices, data challenges, and the political and institutional contexts of evaluation.
The workshop is structured in two parts. The first part introduces methodological approaches—including difference-in-difference, Propensity Score Matching, and the CDM model—supported by empirical applications using datasets such as Statistics Canada’s BIGS and B-LFE. The second part features an interactive panel discussion with experts from government, academia, and industry, exploring the practical challenges and future directions in evaluating innovation policy, including the roles of digitalization and green innovation.
Young Scholar Initiative @DRUID: Doctoral workshop on cross-disciplinary research on innovation and dynamics of change
PRE-CONFERENCE: Tuesday, June 24, 9:00-18:30 (4057)
Reserved for doctoral student delegates to DRUID25. Pre-registration required. Contact: Stefania Scrofani, Stefania.Scrofani@santannapisa.it
Organizers: Stefania Scrofani (Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies) and Alexandra Badort (Luiss Guido Carli)
Speakers: Paul-Emmanuel Anckaert (SKEMA Business School) and Dror Shvadron (Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto)
Innovation and the dynamics of change are recognized as central forces shaping the evolution of economies and societies. At the heart of these processes lies the interplay between disciplines, methodologies, and perspectives – a complexity that is both a challenge and an opportunity for young scholars. The YSI @DRUID Workshop aims to provide an environment where early-career researchers can present their ongoing research and share their insights in the fields of technological change, knowledge transfer and labour market effects of innovation, exchanging perspectives amongst each other as well as with senior scholars.
The workshop is structured into two interactive sessions. To set the stage, each session will open with a presentation by the speakers on their latest research, providing valuable context and sparking dialogue. Then, each session will feature three selected PhD Candidates that will present their research, followed by discussions led by our speakers and another fellow young scholar.
