• Events
• Borderstep Impact Forum 2021

The Borderstep Impact Forum 2021 will take place on June 21 & 22, 2021, as part of the annual conference of the International Society for Professional Innovation Management (ISPIM) in Berlin. It is dedicated to the topic of sustainability assessment and impact measurement of start-ups.

Assessing and forecasting the sustainability impact of new ventures

There will also be a special issue in the Journal of Cleaner Production on “Assessing and forecasting the sustainability impact of new ventures”. Borderstep director Prof. Klaus Fichter is one of the guest editors. Scientists are invited to submit their research for the journal’s publication. Further information and deadlines can be found here. The XXXII ISPIM Conference entitled “Innovating Our Common Future” is a three-day event that brings together world-renowned experts on innovation management. Researchers, innovation managers, business and thought leaders will share insights on values-based and sustainability-oriented innovation as well as general innovation management hot-topics. Submissions from academic, research, consulting, industry, intermediary and policy are encouraged.  Submissions on the focus themes of values-based and sustainability-oriented innovation are particularly sought. Changing customer and stakeholder values and normative frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations create new challenges and opportunities for innovation. The conference will focus on innovation approaches and solutions for key societal challenges on local, regional and global levels:

ISPIM Innovation Conference 2021 in Berlin (virtual)

Local – Berlin: Tackling challenges of growing and transforming cities: Metropolitan areas face severe threats due to limited natural resources such as space and water supply, as well as climate change. The ISPIM Conference will discuss innovative solutions to the specific challenge of transforming the city of Berlin with regard to spatial development, sustainable mobility and energy management. Regional – Sustainability-oriented innovation in Europe: European values and normative goals for responsible research and innovation provide new opportunities and directions for innovation management. Current challenges include how to deal with energy transition, global economic growth, and the consequences of a linear economy (food waste, microplastic etc.). Against this backdrop, the European Commission has adopted an ambitious Circular Economy Package. The proposed actions will contribute to “closing the loop” of product lifecycles through greater recycling and re-use. Global – Collaboration between the private sector and governmental institutions is required to achieve the SDGs. Normative goals such as the SDGs provide companies with new levers and directions for innovation and its management. How can established management concepts, tools and methods be advanced to discover new business opportunities and simultaneously address global challenges (including the need to provide clean energy, to promote well-being or to ensure quality education)? Key societal challenges are identified and selected in close collaboration with local, regional and global partners of the conference. These partners as well as members and Special Interest Groups of ISPIM are invited to share insights on key societal challenges, and to provide and demonstrate approaches, solutions and best practices for values-based and sustainability-oriented innovation.