Bielefeld International Conference on Applied Business (BiCAB)
on
Bridges for Impact: Linking Science, Economy, Politics, and Society
22 May 2026
The Bielefeld School of Business at HSBI announces its fifth annual international conference, scheduled for May 22, 2026 (9:00 AM to 2:00 PM), on the topic:
“Bridges for Impact: Linking Science, Economy, Politics, and Society”
Our 2026 BiCAB conference explores new pathways for knowledge, idea, and technology transfer, understood not simply as communication, but as a driver of societal change. Transfer is not a one-way flow from science to business; rather, it functions as a dynamic and reciprocal system. It involves translating research into practice, integrating impulses from industry and civil society back into academia, and fostering co-learning processes that benefit universities, companies, policymakers, and citizens alike.
The conference highlights how effective transfer creates impact: economic, social, and cultural. It seeks to demonstrate how teaching and research outcomes can be made visible, understandable, and sustainable. By promoting innovative formats for collaboration between science, industry, government, and civil society, the event aims to strengthen value creation, resilience, and global competitiveness.
With an international perspective, the conference explores these key questions:
- Which transfer models and best practices deliver lasting impact?
- Where are the main barriers, and how can they be overcome?
- And how can we ensure that universities and science create real value for society?
Possible thematic areas include:
- Interactive collaboration formats: making partnerships between higher education, industry, and society practical and impactful
- Open and citizen science: ideas and practical examples of how open science and citizen science strengthen transfer and connect with society
- Living labs: co-designing solutions with policymakers, businesses, and civil society to address real-world challenges collaboratively
- Technology and media trends: how new technologies and media trends - social media, podcasts, video formats - can be used to make complex research results truly understandable and engaging and reach people
In 2026, paper contributions will also be presented innovatively:
- papers as science slams: researchers present papers in compact, engaging slams - clear, entertaining, and accessible
We are looking forward to your ideas, experiences, and your participation in Building Bridges.
