Crete Workshop on Innovation & Entrepreneurship 2026

Crete | 20-23 July 2026

The Crete Workshop on Innovation & Entrepreneurship 2026 brought together 28 scholars for four days of academic exchange, constructive discussion and international collaboration.

Organized by George Chondrakis (Esade), Annamaria Conti (IE University), Colleen Cunningham (University of Utah's David Eccles School of Business), Myriam Mariani (Bocconi University) and Carlos Serrano (HEC Paris - ION Management Science Lab), the workshop offered a focused and collegial environment in which participants could present ongoing research, receive rigorous feedback and build connections around shared academic interests.

The event was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.

An international and multidisciplinary research community

A defining feature of the workshop was the geographical and intellectual diversity of its participants. The group included researchers from leading institutions across Europe, North America and Asia, creating a genuinely international forum for advancing knowledge on information disclosure, patent sales, innovation and entrepreneurial strategy.

European institutions represented included Esade, Bocconi University, HEC Paris, IE University, INSEAD, London Business School, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and the Stockholm School of Economics. Participants also joined from Wharton, Harvard Business School, New York University, Emory University, Georgia Tech, the University of Southern California, the University of Toronto and the University of Utah, as well as Tsinghua University in China.

This geographical diversity was complemented by a broad range of academic perspectives. Participants brought expertise in innovation, entrepreneurship, corporate strategy, technology markets, intellectual property, scientific knowledge, organizational dynamics and artificial intelligence. Bringing these perspectives together enabled scholars to examine related questions through different theoretical, methodological and institutional lenses.

Advancing research on information disclosure and patent sales

The workshop was organized in connection with two research projects led by George Chondrakis: INFODISCLOSURE - Information Disclosure: Technology Markets and Entrepreneurial Strategy and PATSALES - Patent Sales: Competitor Deterrence and Knowledge Diffusion.

Both projects explore how the availability and disclosure of information influence innovation and competition. They address questions such as how greater transparency can facilitate knowledge diffusion, reveal new technological applications and broaden strategic search, while also considering potential competitive costs, including imitation, increased exposure of proprietary knowledge and the deterrence of investment or market entry.

The diversity of the workshop participants was particularly valuable in developing these research agendas. Their different areas of expertise generated insightful feedback on how information, knowledge and technologies move across firms and markets, while also connecting the projects to wider debates in innovation, entrepreneurship, intellectual property and organizational strategy.

Strengthening international collaboration

Beyond the discussion of individual research projects, the workshop helped consolidate an international community of scholars working on closely related questions. Its focused format encouraged substantive exchanges, supported the development of new ideas and opened opportunities for future academic collaboration.

By convening researchers from a wide range of countries, institutions and disciplines, the Crete Workshop strengthened the international network surrounding INFODISCLOSURE and PATSALES. It also created a shared space for advancing research on information disclosure, technology markets and entrepreneurial strategy, contributing to the broader understanding of how transparency and knowledge flows shape innovation and competition.