Halmstad University hosts Europe's largest scientific conference for sustainable business models
On June 9–11, Halmstad University and the research environment Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Learning Research (CIEL) will host the sixth edition of the international conference New Business Models (NBM).
”Halmstad University's research on business models, innovation and sustainability has grown in recent years and being able to host the conference is a confirmation and proof of quality on our work and relevance in the field.”
Maya Hoveskog, Associate Professor in Innovation Management
The NBM conference is a platform for interdisciplinary research and provides space for new and innovative research theories and methods. Here, academics and practitioners meet to present the latest research on sustainable business model development. In 2020, about 350 people from 32 countries participated.
Registration is open
Registration for the conference is open until April 30.
The theme for this year's conference – New Business Models in a Decade of Action: Sustainable, Evidence-based, Impactful – is inspired by the UN's Sustainability Goals. At the conference, participants will discuss how innovative business models can contribute to meet these goals. The focus is also on creating an interdisciplinary environment that involves several stakeholders for a transition to a sustainable society.
“Halmstad University's research on business models, innovation and sustainability has grown in recent years and being able to host the conference is a confirmation and proof of quality on our work and relevance in the field”, says Maya Hoveskog, Associate Professor in Innovation Management and responsible for the conference together with Fawzi Halila, Associate Professor in Industrial Organisation.
Workshops, lectures and discussion opportunities – all in digital format
The conference will be held entirely online, partly as an adaptation to the current pandemic, but also as a step towards further sustainability.
“The conference series has a clear sustainability profile. For example, the conferences has to be held in places that can be traveled to by train. At the physical conferences previously held, there has been an objective to reduce the amount of waste and to serve vegetarian or vegan food. By hosting the conference digitally, these issues become even clearer”, says Fawzi Halila and continues:
“For example, we will offer participants a digital goodie bag that includes conference proceedings with abstracts and papers. There will also be an opportunity to participate in digital social activities to get to know each other and get an introduction to Halmstad and Sweden.”
Another new feature of this year’s conference is a half-day workshop for doctoral students working with new business models. Here, the doctoral students will be able to discuss in small groups under the guidance of senior researchers from, among others, Halmstad University, Toulouse Business School in France, Cass Business School in United Kingdom and Radboud University in the Netherlands.
Keynote speakers
- Professor Mats Alvesson, Lund University
- Professor Peter Wells, Cardiff University (UK)
- Professor Minna Halme, Aalto University School of Business (Finland)
- Professor Thomas Ritter, Copenhagen Business School (Denmark)
In addition to the workshop for doctoral students, an number of workshops will be held for already established researchers on 7–8 June. Here, the conference participants have the opportunity, together with senior researchers, to discuss and work on issues regarding sustainable business models.
“The conference has a very exciting content. We have already received many applications for both the doctoral student workshop and the other workshops, and we look forward to even more. We are also very proud of our keynote speakers, who will all contribute with interesting perspectives. In addition, a number of panel discussions are offered with exciting participants. We hope and believe that this year's edition of the NBM conference will be rewarding, and that through the conference we can contribute to the development towards a more sustainable future”, says Maya Hoveskog.
Text: Christa Amnell
Photo: iStock
