History should matter more: Placing Cultural Fabric in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
IAT Researchers Contribute to the 40th RENT Conference in Antwerp
From 18 to 20 November 2026, the 40th RENT Conference (Research in Entrepreneurship and Small Business) will take place in Antwerp, Belgium. Organised within the European Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ECSB) community, RENT is a well-established international academic conference dedicated to entrepreneurship and small business research. For four decades, it has provided a platform for researchers from across the world to present cutting-edge research, exchange theoretical and methodological perspectives, and discuss current developments in entrepreneurship studies.
Under the theme “Entrepreneurship in and for Fast-Changing Worlds: Making the Future with Resilience, Impact, and Fairness,” this year’s anniversary conference explores how entrepreneurship both responds to and shapes economic and societal transformations. Particular attention is given to the role of entrepreneurship in fostering resilience, sustainability, and social inclusion.
Researchers from the Institute for Work and Technology (IAT) – Judith Terstriep, Alexandra David, Benedikt Pühmeyer, and Lukas Zaghow – contribute to the conference with three scientific papers. Their research addresses the institutional, social, and regional conditions of entrepreneurship, focusing on migrant entrepreneurship, support infrastructures, discursive power relations, and the historical and cultural embeddedness of entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Together, these contributions reflect IAT’s research on entrepreneurship as a socially embedded and context-dependent process, highlighting its relevance for inclusive innovation, regional transformation, and place-sensitive policy approaches.