University of Cambridge×Technical University of Munich

Ecosystem Bridge

Name: Cambridge–TUM Symposium. Ecosystem Bridge: From Ecosystem Research to Ecosystem Practice
Start: 2027-03
Location: Cambridge, United Kingdom

Building the Bridge: From Ecosystem Research to Ecosystem Practice

18th March 2027 Cambridge, United Kingdom

A curated one-day Cambridge–TUM symposium for managers, founders, investors, policymakers, and ecosystem builders. It connects business ecosystems and regional innovation ecosystems, translating research into practical frameworks and collaborations to design, govern, scale, and sustain them.

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Strategic relevance

Connecting business ecosystems and regional innovation ecosystems

Many organisations now operate in business ecosystems shaped by corporate keystones, platform leaders, complementors, investors, and customers. At the same time, governments, universities, founders, and regional institutions are working to strengthen innovation ecosystems.

Yet there are still too few forums that help leaders connect these two worlds and think clearly about how ecosystems are designed, governed, scaled, and sustained in practice.

Ecosystem Bridge addresses that strategic gap by translating rigorous research into usable frameworks rather than treating ecosystem strategy as an abstract concept.

Designed for depth over breadth: around 100 curated participants in one day, with a deliberate mix of keynotes, workshops, and roundtables that prioritise exchange, application, and grounded discussion.

Objective

A clear, shared mission

"Translate ecosystem research into usable frameworks, practical tools, and new collaborations that help managers, founders, investors, universities, policymakers, and regional leaders act more deliberately, whether orchestrating a corporate business ecosystem, participating in one, or building the conditions for regional innovation to flourish."

01.Translate ecosystem research into usable, business-friendly frameworks, practical tools, and new collaborations.
02.Help managers, founders, investors, universities, policymakers, and regional leaders act more deliberately, whether orchestrating a corporate business ecosystem, participating in one, or building the conditions for regional innovation to flourish.
03.Create grounded dialogue on what it actually takes to build, scale, participate in, and benefit from high-impact ecosystems.
04.Anchor the symposium in concrete outputs such as community building, a white paper, practical tools, and future collaboration opportunities, so its relevance extends well beyond the day itself.

Symposium format

One day. 100 participants. Depth, exchange, application.

A curated format combining keynotes for inspiration, workshops for application, and roundtables for co-creation. It brings academia, startups, corporates, investors, policymakers, and ecosystem builders into the same room for grounded discussion about what it actually takes to build, scale, participate in, and benefit from high-impact ecosystems.

Keynotes

Inspiration from leading scholars and practitioners shaping business ecosystems.

Workshops

Hands-on application of frameworks to live strategic ecosystem challenges.

Roundtables

Cross-sector co-creation on the questions that matter most in ecosystem practice.

Community Building

Structured networking and lasting cross-sector relationships beyond the day itself.

Participants

Academia, startups, corporates, investors, policymakers, and ecosystem builders in the same room

Around 100 curated participants, intentionally drawn across sectors to enable rigorous, grounded, and practice-oriented dialogue on what it actually takes to build, scale, participate in, and benefit from high-impact ecosystems.

Academia

Leading scholars working on business ecosystems and innovation.

Startups

Founders and scale-up leaders building in fast-moving ecosystems.

Corporates

Innovation and strategy leaders shaping ecosystems from major firms.

Investors

Venture, growth, and impact capital across stages.

Policymakers

Public-sector leaders from Germany, the UK, and Europe.

Ecosystem builders

Intermediaries, programs, and institutions connecting and strengthening regional innovation.

Expected outcomes

Concrete outputs. Lasting community.

The ambition is not simply to discuss ecosystems, but to help make ecosystem-level thinking a more usable and mainstream approach to strategy, innovation, and regional growth, anchored in tangible outputs so relevance extends well beyond the day itself.

01Community building across academia, startups, corporates, investors, and policymakers
02A white paper capturing lessons learned on ecosystem strategy and practice
03Practical tools and frameworks for managers, founders, and policymakers
04Future collaboration opportunities, including Horizon Europe 2027 ideas
05High-level peer dialogue and structured cross-sector exchange
06An ongoing network that extends the symposium's relevance well beyond the day itself

Ecosystem of stakeholders

An evolving, cross-sector community

The list below is illustrative and evolving. Final institutional participation is subject to confirmation.

Hosts & academic anchors

University of CambridgeTechnical University of MunichREAPCDTMTUM Venture Labs

Foundations & public bodies

Dieter Schwarz StiftungSPRIND

Leading universities

MITStanfordOxfordImperialLBSUCLLMU

Industry, capital & policy

CorporatesStartupsScaleupsVenture CapitalGrowth CapitalPolicymakers

Organizing team

A joint Cambridge–TUM initiative