ENGAGE.EU Workshop for Early-Stage Researchers
19–21 May 2026 University of Mannheim
Tracks
Track 1: Inequalities: Causes and effects on societies, organisations and individuals
Social and economic inequalities create reciprocal correlations and causations. Access to education, housing and employment determines the social and economic status, political participation and general well-being of immigrants and citizens alike. Limited access to resources, intertwined with social and financial standings, can determine their lifestyle choices that shape non-communicable diseases and the general physical and mental health of groups and individuals. Furthermore, health issues can generate or exacerbate inequalities, perpetuating this vicious cycle that connects disparity with many aspects of human life in society. How does discrimination function, and what strategies exist to help corporate actors, public services, health care managers and individuals balance these inequalities? With a particular focus on health, this track explores the interconnectedness of inequalities and their many layers.
Chairs: Catarina Goulão (Toulouse School of Economics), Jutta Mata (University of Mannheim), Malgorzata Mikucka (University of Mannheim), Jurgen Willems (WU Vienna)
Track 2: Artificial Intelligence in organisations and societies
Artificial intelligence (AI) has already transformed many aspects of human life, beyond how most people use it: playing with prompts in a generative language model, for example, or generating images of themselves in their favourite movie or show. Not only does AI itself have the potential to disrupt the way we think about intelligence, consciousness and humanity in general, but the consequences of this supposed capacity can already be felt socially and economically all around the globe. AI-related companies are currently driving stock market growth, particularly in the US. Meanwhile, the energy and resources required by data centres have already impacted communities, disrupting their access to basic services. In what ways can AI transform the way we work, and how can it change the way organisations, companies and public institutions operate and interact with each other? What new options does AI enable that were previously beyond our reach? What are the risks and benefits of adopting AI?
Chairs: Fabian Homberg (Luiss University Rome), Philipp Kellmeyer (University of Mannheim), Florian Kraus (University of Mannheim)
Track 3: Technological Innovations and their effects on organisations and societies
Since the 1990s, the popularisation of the internet has transformed many aspects of the ways we interact with technology and with each other. Social media, virtual reality, and our ability to analyse complex systems through computation, for example, have had a profound impact on many aspects of contemporary society, from the way we socialise to the way we work and understand each other. How are technological innovations reshaping economic relations and industries, work, entrepreneurship and consumer behaviour? How do they influence organisational behaviour as well as management, corporate communication and marketing? What repercussions can we see and anticipate for societies from interpersonal relationships to the economic, legal and political order at a transnational level? This interdisciplinary track looks at interconnections between technological innovation and the diverse dimensions of societies and organisations through a multidisciplinary lens.
Chairs: Marie Caussimont (Toulouse School of Management), Nikolay Dentchev (University of National and World Economy, Sofia), Fabian Homberg (Luiss University Rome), Davud Rostam-Afschar (University of Mannheim)
Track 4: Ecologic, economic and societal transitions: perspectives and strategies
Societies and economies are always in a state of transition, but the pace of change and the potential for disruption seem to be accelerating. On the one hand, there is a growing acknowledgement that some of the economic, energy and exploitative systems in place are unsustainable and require in-depth analysis. On the other hand, there has been a surge in political backlash prioritising the maintenance of the status quo and short-term gains over long-lasting transformations. Considering the current shift away from sustainability and decarbonisation, what lessons can we learn from other grand transformations and their effects on societies? How do demographic shifts alongside economic growth or decline alter societies and what are possible coping strategies? What are the main challenges and best practices for promoting clean energy economies, social entrepreneurship and ethical businesses?
Chairs: Henning Hillmann (University of Mannheim), Maria Rita Testa (Luiss University Rome), Sjak Smulders (Tilburg University), Ulrich Wagner (University of Mannheim), Rolf Wüstenhagen (University of St. Gallen)
Programme
Day 1: 19 May 2026
Track 1: Inequalities Track 2: AI Track 3: Innovations Track 4: Transitions Mock Hiring Interviews Room O 126 – Dozentenzimmer SO 418 – Seminarraum EO 169 – Seminarraum SO 318 – Seminarraum EO 188 – Seminarraum 12:00–13:00 Welcome Lunch – O 138.1 Foyer
13:00–13:45 Welcome Plenary– O 138 FUCHS Festsaal
Jutta Mata, Vice President for Research and Career Paths in Academia
Programme Introduction
Panel: Catarina Goulão, Fabian Homberg, Maria Rita Testa, Jurgen Willems, Rolf Wüstenhagen13:45–14:00 Photo (Stairwell FUCHS Festsaal)
14:00–15:30 Nadya Ali (Tilburg): A Nationwide Study of the Effects of Parental Income and Education on Infant Health at Birth in The Netherlands: Mediating Role of Pollution and Pesticides
Discussant: Juan Albacete Maza (Barcelona)Juan Albacete Maza (Barcelona): Why do parents give their children their first smartphone? Exploring the determinants of Early Smartphone Ownership in Barcelona
Discussant: Nadya Ali (Tilburg)Chair: Jutta Mata (Mannheim)
Du Wanting (Helsinki): AI-Supported Decision-Making and the Enactment of Organizational Values
Discussant: John William Atkinson (Rome)Anna Mpanti (Rome): Edge Modification in Graph-Based Digital Infrastructures: Theory and Applications to Software Watermarking
Discussant: Ludovico Bossi (Rome)Chair: Philipp Kellmeyer (Mannheim)
Rasul Hajiev (Toulouse): Collaborative Decision-Making in the Complex Products and Systems Industries: Problems and Perspectives – A Systematic Literature Review.
Discussant: Sasha Katalina Soto (Barcelona)Sasha Katalina Soto (Barcelona): Collaborative Paradoxes: explaining how stakeholders' relationships clash in network governance, hindering path renewal from old trajectories to innovative paths.
Discussant: Rasul Hajiev (Toulouse)Chair: Fabian Homberg (Rome)
Hosay Rahmatzai (Toulouse): Accounting and Financial Practices in Times of Crisis and Uncertainty
Discussant: Siyu Zhang (Mannheim)Siyu Zhang (Mannheim): Road to Green? The Effect of Highway Expansion on Industrial Emissions Intensity
Discussant: Hosay Rahmatzai (Toulouse)Chair: Rolf Wüstenhagen (St. Gallen)
Florian Stahl (University of Mannheim, Marketing) 15:30–16:00 Coffee Break – O 138.1 Foyer
16:00–17:30 Luca Caprari (Mannheim): The Medical Care Costs of Obesity: Evidence from Germany
Discussant: Anton Aladjov (Sofia)Imke Spapens (Tilburg): Multimodal signals and unequal understanding: Non-verbal influences on clinical risk interpretation
Discussant: Mariya Yaneva (Sofia)Chair: Catarina Goulão (Toulouse)
Ludovico Bossi (Rome): The Operationalization of Remuneration Rights for AI
Discussant: Anna Mpanti (Rome)Chair: Philipp Kellmeyer (Mannheim)
Rosalie Wing Yan Lai (Bergen): Branding the Category Steward: How Generic Marketing Builds Brand Image and Drives Digital Engagement
Discussant: Milena Vinarova (Sofia)Milena Vinarova (Sofia): Cyber threats to children in the digital media environment
Discussant: Rosalie Wing Yan Lai (Bergen)Chair: Marie Caussimont (Toulouse)
Nandeera Sonali Rathnayake Mudiyanselage (Helsinki): Bridging Digital Integration and Ecological Embeddedness: Reconfiguring Technology in Community-Based Entrepreneurship
Discussant: Antonina Lozanova (Sofia)Jakob Schmidhäuser (Mannheim): The Local Economic Impacts of US Troop Withdrawals in Germany
Discussant: Miroslav Varbanov (Sofia)Chair: Maria Rita Testa (Rome)
Moritz Fleischmann (University of Mannheim, Supply Chain Management) (Room: SO 322)
Rolf Wüstenhagen (University of St. Gallen, Management of Renewable Energies) (Room: EO 188)
17:30–19:00 Cultural Activities:
Postcolonial guided city tour of Mannheim
Meeting Point: Ehrenhof (huge central square in front of the Palace)OR
“They Built a Palace for Mannheim”: an architectural tour of the Baroque Palace (“Schloss”)
Meeting point: Palace Ticket Office19:00–21:00 Dinner at “Gasthaus am Fluss/
Rheinterrassen“
Rheinpromenade 15, 68163 MannheimDay 2: 20 May 2026
Track 1: Inequalities Track 2: AI Track 3: Innovations Track 4: Transitions Mock Hiring Interviews Room O 126 – Dozentenzimmer SO 418 – Seminarraum SO 422 – Seminarraum ExpLAB 08:30–09:00 Coffee – O 138.1 Foyer
09:00–10:30 Lea Koisser (Vienna): Exploring Barriers and Facilitators to Health Care among Patients with Atrial Fibrillation in Austria and Germany
Discussant: Ana Nestorovic (Vienna)Anton Aladjov (Sofia): Black Swan and White Coat: Perspectives on Crisis Management as a Consequence of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Discussant: Luca Caprari (Mannheim)Chair: Jutta Mata (Mannheim)
Neli Simeonova (Sofia): Artificial Intelligence as a Transformative Force Influencing Organizational Business Practices under Contemporary Conditions
Chair: Fabian Homberg (Rome)
Habiba Hajiyeva (Toulouse): Working Across Realities: A Socio-Technical Reframing of Work Design
Discussant: Michele Bordone (Rome)Michele Bordone (Rome):
Leadership and Self-Efficacy: A Meta-Analysis of Over Twenty Years of Research
Discussant: Habiba Hajiyeva (Toulouse)Chair: Nikolay Dentchev (Sofia)
Nils Josef Hofmann (St. Gallen): The role and impact of artificial intelligence in the transport industry in the context of shortage of qualified labor
Discussant: Pau Garcia Sanchez (Barcelona)Anaëlle Bueno Patin (Tilburg): Under the skin of the factory: The everyday embodied experiences of steel work(ers) in the IJmuiden steel plant, The Netherlands
Discussant: Nils Josef Hofmann (Sankt Gallen))Chair: Henning Hillmann (Mannheim)
Polina Galkin (SAP)
(Room: ZEO 192)10:30–11:00 Coffee Break – O 138.1 Foyer
11:00–12:30 Mariya Yaneva (Sofia): CSR departments in partnership with social entrepreneurs: Organization model for internal and external ecosystems for sustainable business
Discussant: Imke Spapens (Tilburg)Xu Jiaxin (Helsinki): Constructing Moral Boundaries: Towards Ethical Norms and Restored Trust in Investor-Entrepreneur Relationships
Discussant: Ebru Sarikaya (Mannheim)Chair: Jurgen Willems (Vienna)
Pau Garcia Sanchez (Barcelona): A Postcolonial World-Ecology Approach to International Migration: The (Un)Sustainable Development of Fisheries in The Gambia and (im)mobility dynamics to the European Union
Discussant: Anaëlle Bueno Patin (Tilburg)Farrukh Iqbal (Helsinki):
Towards Bio-Circularity in Humanitarian Operations: A Transition Framework
Discussant: Agnes Köchl (Vienna)Chair: Sjak Smulders (Tilburg)
Katharina Hain (Pepperl & Fuchs)
(Room ZEO 192)Dirk Simons (Accounting, University of Mannheim)
(Room: FUCHS Festsaal)Nicholas Schutz (University of Mannheim, Industrial Organisation)
(Room: EO 188)12:30–13:30 Lunch Break – O 138.1 Foyer
13:30–15:00 Ebru Sarikaya (Mannheim): Evidence of bias? A systematic review and critical assessment of the literature on discrimination in entrepreneurial finance
Discussant: Xu Jiaxin (Helsinki)Ana Nestorovic (Vienna): Experiences and coping mechanism of highly skilled international professionals in the city of Vienna
Discussant: Lea Koisser (Vienna)Chair: Malgorzata Mikucka (Mannheim)
Nikolay Slivkin (Toulouse): Immersive Technologies: Dualities in Perception, Promise, and Practice
Discussant: Emanuil Diamandiev (Sofia)Siavash Mohades (Rome): Rent and Surplus Value in the Data Economy
Discussant: Nikolay Slivkin (Toulouse)Chair: Davud Rostam-Afschar (Mannheim)
Antonina Lozanova (Sofia): Business model transformations of regional online media in Southeast Europe
Discussant: Nandeera Sonali Rathnayake Mudiyanselage (Helsinki)Miroslav Varbanov (Sofia): Japanese Demographic Issues after the Burst of the ''Bubble Economy''
Discussant: Jakob Schmidhäuser (Mannheim)Chair: Maria Rita Testa (Rome)
Catarina Goulão (Toulouse School of Economics)
(Room: EO 188)15:00–15:30 Coffee Break – O 138.1 Foyer
Ralf Müller-Terpitz (University of Mannheim)
(Room: EO 188)Room ExpLAB O 126 – Dozentenzimmer SO 422 – Seminarraum SO 418 – Seminarraum 15:30–17:00 Skills Sessions
Let’s ENGAGE: An Interactive Introduction to Participatory Research Methods (Part 1)
Julia Derkau & Corinna Braun (Mannheim)
Research integrity in conversation: Exploring the grey areas
Anne Brouwer (Tilburg)
Mental Health for Researchers
Mattis Nuding and Katrin Fischer (Mannheim)
Proposal Writing in a Nutshell (until 17:30)
Dr. Babette Regierer (SB Science Management)
17:30–19:00 Free time
19:00–21:00 Dinner
Katakomben – University of MannheimDay 3: 21 May 2026
Track 1: Inequalities Track 2: AI Track 3: Innovations Mock Hiring Skills Session (Participatory Research Part 2) Room SO 418 – Seminarraum 004 – EduSpace ZEO 192 – Besprechungsraum ExpLAB 08:30–09:00 Coffee – O 138.1 Foyer
09:00–10:30 Cross-Track Session John Vara Prasad Ravi (Barcelona): Service Satisfaction with Virtual Generative Agents: The Role of Emotional Responses, Interface, and Interaction Style.
Discussant: Du Wanting (Helsinki)John William Atkinson (Rome): Artificial intelligence as a political issue: an emerging opportunity for Western European parties?
Discussant: John Vara Prasad Ravi (Barcelona)Chair: Florian Kraus (Mannheim)
Emanuil Diamandiev (Sofia): From Delivery to Value: Examining Implementation Gaps in Contemporary Project Management Practice
Discussant: Siavash Mohades (Rome)Chair: Davud Rostam-Afschar (Mannheim)
Agnes Köchl (Vienna): Does Organizational Democracy Foster Sustainability? Evidence from NPOs
Discussant: Farrukh Iqbal (Helsinki)Chair: Ulrich Wagner (Mannheim)
Fabian Homberg (Luiss Guido Carli University) Let’s ENGAGE: An Interactive Introduction to Participatory Research Methods (Part 2)
(Julia Derkau/
Corinna Braun, Mannheim) 10:30–11:00 Coffee Break – O 138.1 Foyer
11:00–12:00 O 138 – FUCHS Festsaal
Plenary: ENGAGE.EU OpportunitiesBoard of Learners
PhD Course Catalogue
Research Visits
Research Community Platform
Research Label
ESR Online-Training 2026
ESR Workshop 202712:00–13:00 Lunch to Go – O 138.1 Foyer