GSB Professors Present Research at InnoTech 2026 in Beijing
Three researches from the HSE Graduate School of Business participated in InnoTech 2026: Innovation and Technology Management Conference, held on 22–24 May 2026 in Beijing, China. Organized by Elsevier and Tsinghua University, the conference focused on the theme “Managing Innovation and Technology in the Digital and Intelligent Age.”
InnoTech 2026 brought together leading scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and journal editors to discuss how artificial intelligence, digital platforms, sustainable technologies, and changes in the global environment are reshaping innovation systems, organizational strategies, and technology governance.
The GSB professors presented three research projects during the conference’s poster sessions:
- Associate Professor Anja Tekic: “From Voids to Value: Constraint-Driven Modularization in Global Product Management”
- Professor Zeljko Tekic: “Not Decided by Humans: What Happens When AI Rewrites the Mechanisms of Open Innovation”
- Professor Mikhail Komarov: “Innovation Management and AI”
The conference featured distinguished speakers, including Eric von Hippel, Professor at MIT and widely regarded as the “godfather of user innovation”; Jin Chen, Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Tsinghua University; and Jochen Wirtz, Professor of Marketing at the National University of Singapore.
For Associate Professor Anja Tekic, the conference also provided an opportunity to reconnect with Professor von Hippel.
Associate Professor
It was a great opportunity to reconnect with Professor Eric von Hippel and discuss some of my current ideas with him. Conversations with scholars whose work has shaped the field are extremely valuable for refining emerging research and developing its broader theoretical potential.
The program also included academic sessions, “Meet the Editor” events, and publication panels involving editors of leading journals such as Research Policy, Technovation, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Technology in Society, and the Journal of Engineering and Technology Management.
Professor Zeljko Tekic emphasized the importance of the conference for international academic exchange.
Professor
InnoTech created a strong environment for substantive academic discussion. Presenting our work allowed us to receive focused feedback from colleagues working on closely related topics, while direct interaction with journal editors provided valuable insight into the research themes and debates shaping leading journals in the field.
Artificial intelligence and its organizational implications were prominent themes throughout the conference.
Professor
The conference highlighted the growing importance of AI in everyday business practice and academic research, particularly in relation to organizational capabilities, decision-making, and innovation management. These themes are closely connected to our ongoing AI in Business research project, funded by GSB, which examines how AI and data are transforming business systems, innovation processes, and value creation.
Participation in InnoTech 2026 strengthened GSB’s international reputation and supported the further development and international visibility of the research presented by its faculty.
