Convenor
Convenor's affiliation
Andrew James
University of Manchester
Co-convenors
Shukhrat Nasirov, Xinger Wei, Peiyu Zhan
Abstract
Geopolitical rivalry is transforming how organisations manage R&D. Export controls, data-residency rules, standards competition, and security-driven concerns about “technological sovereignty” are reconfiguring global R&D networks, creating new risks for organisations that rely on cross-border collaboration, open-innovation partnerships, and international technology flows. This track explores how geopolitical constraints shape executive decisions in R&D and innovation management, as well as how organisations can build resilience in an era of uncertainty.
We invite conceptual, empirical, and case studies that examine how organisations adapt their innovation processes, manage global partnerships, and protect knowledge assets amid geopolitical rivalry. Topics include technological sovereignty strategies, supply chain and talent resilience, open innovation under political constraints, IP/export-control-compliant collaboration, and the strategic role of standards-setting.
The track's goal is to deepen our understanding of how geopolitical forces influence R&D and innovation management and to identify practical approaches that sustain competitiveness and resilience in the evolving global innovation landscape.
Description
The global landscape for research, development, and innovation is undergoing profound change. As geopolitical rivalry intensifies, technology has become both a strategic asset and a site of competition among states and corporations. Organisations operating across borders face a complex environment characterised by shifting alliances, trade restrictions, regulatory divergence, and growing scrutiny of international research collaboration. These developments are challenging traditional approaches to R&D and innovation management.
This track focuses on how executive decision-making, organisational design, and innovation practices are being reshaped by geopolitics. It invites papers that examine the strategies organisations adopt to manage R&D under geopolitical constraints, and how these strategies affect technological competitiveness and resilience. Contributions may explore how organisations reconfigure their global R&D footprints, manage supply chain vulnerabilities, or respond to industrial policies that promote technological sovereignty.
Resilience is a central theme. As global networks become more fragile, organisations are experimenting with new approaches to safeguard critical technologies, knowledge, and talent. This includes the diversification of suppliers, the localisation of R&D activities, the establishment of regional innovation hubs, and the use of digital tools to manage distributed innovation teams. Research exploring how organisations balance openness and security in innovation partnerships is especially encouraged.
The track also welcomes studies that address organisational and governance challenges arising from geopolitical rivalry. How do organisations manage collaboration when partners are subject to different export controls or data regulations? What mechanisms enable knowledge sharing without compromising IP or compliance? How can R&D leaders integrate geopolitical risk assessment into innovation management? Papers examining open innovation practices in this context – where collaboration, access, and protection must be continuously balanced – are especially relevant. Similarly, research on the geopolitical dimensions of standards-setting and their implications for R&D strategy, technology diffusion, and competitive advantage is also welcomed.
Indicative themes include:
• Managing global R&D and innovation networks under geopolitical uncertainty
• Strategic and organisational resilience in technology-intensive sectors
• Location and investment decisions in response to industrial and security policies
• Knowledge governance, IP management, and export controls in cross-border R&D
• Open innovation and standards-setting in geopolitically contested technologies