Corvinus University to host international conference on ‘Geography of Innovation’

GeoInno 2026, the 8th edition of the Geography of Innovation Conference series, is being hosted by Corvinus University of Budapest from 28th–30th January.

In the age of artificial intelligence and rapid digitalisation, geography, institutions, and the way knowledge travels still shapes where and how innovation happens, reflecting longstanding and often complex dynamics. That is the premise of GeoInno 2026, an international conference bringing leading researchers to discuss the spatial dimensions of growth, inequality, and technological change in contemporary economies, and their implications for policy, regions, and future economies.

The three-day event aims to connect international experts across economic geography, regional science, economics, management, sociology, and network theory, offering interdisciplinary and policy-relevant perspectives on how innovation ecosystems interact across space.

This includes sessions on emerging innovation ecosystems for smart cities, the dynamics of collaboration between SMEs and public research, the geography of food and pharmaceutical innovation, and the interplay between global and local supply chains.

Dedicated panel discussions will explore the role of artificial intelligence in innovation, bringing together diverse international leading corporate and academic voices from organisations such as IBM, KPMG, Corvinus University of Budapest, Vienna’s Complexity Science Hub, and Lund University.

Those taking part in the discussions include data scientist César Hidalgo, known for his work on economic complexity at Corvinus University and the University of Toulouse, innovation researcher Johannes Wachs, Péter Ignácz, a machine-learning specialist at KPMG, and Carolina Castaldi, an editor of the scientific journal Economic Geography and professor at Utrecht University, amongst others.

“The conference draws attention to the fact that innovation does not only bring benefits: it is a complex process that can involve risks and even harmful consequences. The rapid spread of AI, shifts in global trade, globalisation and the green transition are creating a broader ongoing set of new challenges in this field, and more research is needed to understand them. By presenting the latest findings and possible directions for solutions, the conference will help political and economic decision-makers gain a clearer picture of innovation’s complex impacts. I am proud that, for the first time in Central and Eastern Europe, we can host this event in Budapest at Corvinus,” says Bruno van Pottelsberghe, innovation researcher, Rector of Corvinus University of Budapest, and host of the event.

The event will also feature high-profile keynote talks on the impact of sanctions on international trade from Beata Javorcik, University of Oxford; and place-based experimentation in innovation labs and districts from Lars Coenen, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and the University of Bergen.