Corvinus Doctoral Research Presented at a Leading Global Innovation Management Conference
Innovation professionals from around the world gathered in Granada between 7 and 10 June 2026 for the 37th ISPIM Innovation Conference. Held under the theme Connecting for Innovation, the conference is one of the leading international events in the field of innovation management, bringing together researchers, business professionals, consultants and policymakers. This year’s event welcomed around 500 participants from more than 50 countries and featured over 280 academic and professional presentations.
Corvinus University of Budapest was represented by Anett Dobos, a student of the Doctoral School of Business and Management, who was also the only Hungarian PhD student attending the conference. Typically, fewer than half of the research submissions to ISPIM conferences are accepted into the programme, while this year’s call attracted more than 450 submissions. The rigorous selection process ensures that the conference presents current and high-quality research in the field of innovation.
The Corvinus research presented in the Research in Progress track examined the conditions under which digital transformation supports the positive impact of business model innovation on firm performance. The findings suggest that renewing a business model does not necessarily improve firm performance on its own; sufficiently advanced digital capabilities are also required. Digital transformation may therefore act as an enabling factor that supports the implementation, coordination and scaling of new business models.
One of the conference’s keynote speakers was world-renowned designer Frank Stephenson, co-founder and creative director of frank stephenson design, whose work is associated with several iconic models by MINI, Ferrari, Maserati and McLaren. The opening plenary session also featured Vito Episcopo, Deputy Mayor of Granada, and Nieves Valenzuela Romero, Director General responsible for innovation promotion at the Regional Government of Andalusia. The conference also included a dedicated Industry–Academia Day, organised with the participation of John Metselaar and The Conference Board, focusing on the leadership of innovation ecosystems and collaboration between universities and industry.
Alongside the research presentation, Anett Dobos participated in several roundtable discussions and interactive workshops, and also joined the meeting of the ISPIM Proposals & Projects Working Group. The group focuses on European Union research and innovation funding opportunities, international consortium building and the development of joint project initiatives.
The conference also provided an important opportunity to establish international professional connections. During the event, she was able to connect with editors of several international academic journals specialising in innovation management and business model research, as well as with researchers working on related topics. These discussions may support the further development of the research, future international publication opportunities and potential academic collaborations.
Participation in the conference was realised within the framework of the Cooperative Doctoral Programme of the University Research Scholarship Programme, while the travel was also supported by the student mobility funding of the Pannónia Scholarship Programme.
The project EKOP-KDP-CORVINUS-24-1 was implemented with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Innovation from the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund, within the framework of the University Research Scholarship Program announced for the 2024/2025 academic year.
