October 21–23, 2026 · OECD Headquarters and Station F, Paris.
All times in CEST (Central European Summer Time).
Day 1: Opening reception at OECD Headquarters
Wednesday, October 21
The conference opens with a welcoming reception at OECD Headquarters, hosted by the leadership of ICSB and the OECD with invited international guests. More than a ceremonial start, the reception is designed as the conference's first working session: participants from research, government, and enterprise meet, connect, and open the conversations that will carry through the next two days. By the close of day one, the stage is set for three days of dialogue on SMEs and entrepreneurship.
Day 2: Full conference day at OECD Headquarters
Thursday, October 22
Day two is the working heart of the conference, held at OECD Headquarters in Room CC7. The day opens with welcome remarks from the OECD and ICSB, followed by five policy roundtables: AI and SMEs, Scale-Up Finance, Deeptech Entrepreneurship and Incubation, Women and Youth Entrepreneurship, and New and Emerging Topics. Each of the first four opens with an OECD introductory presentation.
Day 3: From research to ecosystem to policy
Friday, October 23
Day three traces the full journey from evidence to action across two venues. Research sessions continue at OECD Headquarters across five research rooms, completing the presentation of papers and drawing together the recommendations emerging from each. The conference then moves to Station F, the world's largest startup campus, where findings meet the entrepreneurs living them. In a single day, the conference's research travels from the seminar room to the startup floor.
Day 1
Wednesday, October 21
17:30
19:30
NetworkingReception OECD Headquarters, Salon des Nations
Opening Reception at the OECD
The conference opens with an evening reception at OECD Headquarters, featuring welcoming remarks from senior leaders of ICSB and the OECD, as well as invited international guests. Participants establish new connections and begin the conversations that will continue throughout the conference.
ICSB & OECD Leadership · Convening Partners
Day 2
Thursday, October 22
09:00
09:45
PlenaryPresentation OECD Headquarters, Room CC7
Opening and welcome
The conference opens with welcome remarks from the OECD and ICSB, followed by a 10-minute keynote talk from Mr. Orkhan Mammadov titled 'Insights from Azerbaijan and Future Trends'.
Lucia Cusmano, Head of the SMEs and Entrepreneurship Division, OECD
Ayman ElTarabishy, President, ICSB
Khalifé Khalifé, Member of the Senate of France
Orkhan Mammadov, Former Chairman of the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (KOBİA) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, founder of Azfar Group company
09:45
10:30
SMEs and AIRoundtable OECD Headquarters, Room CC7
SMEs and AI
How artificial intelligence is reshaping SME competitiveness, which use cases deliver real productivity gains, and how SMEs build AI-ready teams through reskilling and training pathways.
Marco Bianchini, Head of Digitalisation and AI for SMEs Unit, OECD · Moderator
Rico Baldegger, ICSB Fellow and Chair of SME World Forum Paris 2026 · Moderator
Lila Fernández, Director of Europe Strategic Account Services, Amazon
Jeff Shay, Professor of Entrepreneurship, Chair of the Board of the Global Entrepreneurship Association, Babson College
Ignacio Gimenez Losano, Associate Director of Ventures & Science Applications Creative Destruction Lab, HEC Paris
The financing instruments and ecosystem conditions that enable SME scale-up, including venture and growth capital, as well as alternative and blended finance models.
Marija Kuzmanovic, Project Manager, SME and Entrepreneurship Finance, OECD · Moderator
Ayman ElTarabishy, President, ICSB · Moderator
Ahmet Vedat Akgiray, Chairman of the Board, Center for Applied Research in Finance (CARF)
Anette Rudin, Project Director, Navigator Foundation
Anders Liljehaga, Business Director, Sparbanken Alingsås
Lai-Chong Au, Group Chief Executive Officer, Delta Asia Financial Group
11:30
11:45
NetworkingBreak OECD Headquarters, Foyer
Coffee break
Coffee break
11:45
12:45
Deeptech Entrepreneurship and IncubationRoundtable OECD Headquarters, Room CC7
Deeptech Entrepreneurship and Incubation
What it takes to build supportive ecosystems for science-based ventures, from specialized incubation and acceleration to the research-to-market pipelines connecting universities, labs, and industry.
Jonathan Potter, Head of Entrepreneurship Policy Unit, OECD · Moderator
Rico Baldegger, ICSB Fellow and Chair of SME World Forum Paris 2026 · Moderator
Christian Friedl, Professor, Head of GEM Austria & DEM, FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences
Marc Gruber, Full Professor, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Donna Kelley, Frederic C. Hamilton Professor of Free Enterprise Studies, Babson College
Wael ElDesouky, Secretary General, Sustainable Entrepreneurship & Enterprise Development Organization (SKSEED), Egypt
12:45
13:45
NetworkingBreak OECD restaurants
Lunch
Connect with fellow conference participants over lunch at the OECD.
13:45
14:45
Women and Youth EntrepreneurshipRoundtable OECD Headquarters, Room CC7
Women and Youth Entrepreneurship
How women-led and youth-led businesses scale beyond the start, from access to networks and capital to the ecosystem interventions that support sustained, ambitious growth.
David Halabisky, Project Co-ordinator, OECD · Moderator
Nathalie Riond, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Professor, HEC Paris · Moderator
Johanna Schima, Head of EU Delegation, Make Mothers Matter (MMM)
Christine Volkmann, Professor, UNESCO Chair, Universität Wuppertal
Narmina Hasanova, Founder, MiniBoss Business School Baku
Anni Wilhelmi, Head of Global, Women Presidents Organization (WPO)
14:45
15:00
NetworkingBreak OECD headquarters, Foyer
Coffee break
15:00
16:35
New and Emerging TopicsRoundtable OECD Headquarters, Room CC7
New and Emerging Topics
A forward-looking roundtable on the future of SMEs, emerging global trends, and the new opportunities shaping the next frontiers of entrepreneurship. The discussion will help inform ICSB's Top Ten Trends for MSMEs.
Ayman ElTarabishy, President, ICSB · Moderator
Afaf Abounouadar, Executive Director, Make Mothers Matter
Ambassador Martín García Moritán, ICSB Ambassador and Fellow
Ilias Skamnelos, Practice Manager, World Bank Group
Eric Liguori, Associate Dean & Jim Moran Professor, Florida State University
Joseph A. Miranda, Assistant Dean, Operations, GW School of Business
George Jabbour, Professor/Director, GWU
Kathryn Lundquist, Economic Affairs Officer, World Trade Organization (WTO)
Vicki Whittaker, Executive Publisher for Business, Management, and Economics Journals, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group
16:35
16:45
PlenaryPresentation OECD Headquarters, Room CC7
Closing Remarks
Closing reflections by Ayman ElTarabishy, President of ICSB.
A focus on Human-Centered Entrepreneurship and its impact across all facets of SMEs and the economy, exploring how entrepreneurship can balance innovation, competitiveness, and economic growth with human well-being, inclusion, resilience, and societal impact. This theme examines how SMEs can harness emerging technologies, strengthen human capabilities, create meaningful opportunities, and build more sustainable and resilient businesses while contributing to communities and the broader economy.
Christian Kruse, Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences, Session Chair
Senior Scholars
Christian Meisel, Professor, Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences, Session Chair
1
9:30–9:45
ECOLOGICAL TRAINING OF SME EMPLOYEES FOR THE GREEN TRANSITION IN FRANCE
Viktoriya Onegina · Professor/ Researcher, Clermont School of Business, Clermont Recherche Management (ClerMa), Céreq-Clermont · France
withMarina Bourgain · Professor, Researcher, Clermont School of Business, Clermont Recherche Management (ClerMa), Céreq-Clermont · France
2
9:45–10:00
Towards a Small Business Stress Test: Design of an Entrepreneurial Resilience Profile
Han Dieperink · Researcher, Leiden University · Netherlands
3
10:00–10:15
Strengthening and Upgrading the Entrepreneurial Capacity-Building Ecosystem: Regional vs University Ecosystems
Donna Kelley · Professor, Babson College · United States
4
10:15–10:30
Human-Centred Entrepreneurship: Insights from a State-of-the-Art Evidence Review of Entrepreneurs’ Health and Wellbeing
Ute Stephan · Professor, King's College London · United Kingdom
5
10:30–10:45
The Human-Centered Entrepreneurship Index
Ayman ElTarabishy · President, ICSB · United States
10:45–11:00
Quick Coffee Break
6
11:00–11:15
When Financial, Tax and Sustainability Reporting Converge on the Small Firm: A Proportionate, Consent-Based Disclosure Framework for Egypt
Khaled Hegazy · Dean, Professor, School of Business & Finance - Newgiza University · Egypt
7
11:15–11:30
Challenging the “European DARPA” Reflex: Bridging the SME Scaling Gap via Adaptive Architecture and Transatlantic Symbiosis
ANNA SOUAKRI · Researcher, ESCP; Square management school · France
8
11:30–11:45
Human-Centered Financial Capability: Risk-Taking Propensity as the Mediating Mechanism Between Financial Literacy and Micro-Business Performance
Daniel Nii Adotey Baddoo · Researcher, NiBS University / PwC Ghana · Ghana
9
11:45–12:00
Using Responsible AI to Close Gender Data Gaps in SME Statistics: Evidence from Morocco
Amal IDRISSI · Executive Director, OMTPME · Morocco
withAbdessamad Ourad · Lead Data Scientist, OMTPME · Morocco
Zakaria Bantissi · data scientist, OMTPME · Morocco
10
12:00–12:15
Smart Entrepreneurship for Smart Tourism: Ecosystems, Capabilities, and Venture Design
Mourad Mansour · Assistant Professor, Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd University · Saudi Arabia
11
12:15–12:30
Human Rights of Older Adults: A Human-Centered Entrepreneurship Approach to Active Ageing
Ambassador Martín García Moritán · ICSB Ambassador & Fellow, Former Permanent Representative of Argentina to the United Nations, Former Ambassador of Argentina to Uruguay, ICSB · Argentina
09:30
12:30
SMEs and AIPresentation OECD Headquarters, Breakout Rooms
Research Room 2, AI Adoption and Deeptech
Parallel sessions in breakout rooms at the OECD present the latest evidence on AI adoption and deeptech entrepreneurship. Sessions are chaired by senior scholars and generate actionable insights and policy recommendations.
Beyond Business Creation: An Enterprise Threshold Framework for Strengthening SME Policy Evaluation
Benjamin Byarugaba · Lecturer, Uganda Martyrs University · Uganda
9
11:45–12:00
FROM FIRM CAPABILITIES TO CAPABILITIES-IN-PLACE A CONTEXTUAL APPROACH TO INDUSTRIAL POLICY
Yuksel Ayden · Lecturer, RMIT University · Australia
10
12:00–12:15
Islamic Banking in a Changing Global Economy: Industry Insights and Emerging Opportunities
Ibrahim Nabil Elsayed · Manager of International Cooperation and Business Development, AlBaraka Forum for Islamic Economy
11
12:15–12:30
Beyond Investment Readiness: Building Inclusive Growth-Finance Ecosystems for Women-Owned Small and Growing Businesses
Nokwanda Motsitsi · Researcher, Entrepreneurship to the Point · South Africa
09:30
12:30
Women and Youth EntrepreneurshipPresentation OECD Headquarters, Breakout Rooms
Research Room 4, Women and Youth Entrepreneurship
A focus on the latest evidence on women and youth entrepreneurship. Chaired by senior scholars, generating actionable insights and policy recommendations.
Rita Grant, Board Member, ICSB, Session Chair
Senior Scholars
1
9:30–9:45
Student entrepreneurship in France: Empirical evidence from GUESSS 2025
Tatiana Beliaeva · Assistant Professor, UCLy (Lyon Catholic University), ESDES, UR CONFLUENCE : Sciences et Humanités (EA 1598) · France
2
9:45–10:00
Bridging the Generative AI Adoption Gap Evidence on use, unequal enabling conditions, and safe support for women entrepreneurs across 79 countries
Myriam Raymond · Associate Professor, GRANEM Université d'Angers · France
Stuck in the Middle: Capital Readiness and the Missing Middle for Women-Led Firms
Joe Roberts · Director | Government Contracting Program, Webster University · United States
9
11:45–12:00
Entrepreneurial Propensity of University Students in Argentina: A Comparison 2023 vs. 2025
Nicolás Novaira, Universidad Nacional de Rafaela · Argentina
10
12:00–12:15
Necessity without enterprise: why flexibility policy misroutes mothers, and what it means for small firms
Claudio Bonvino · Researcher, Politecnico di Milano · Italy
withAndrea Odille Bosio · Researcher, Università degli Studi di Bergamo · Italy
11
12:15–12:30
The Emergence of Entrepreneurial Mindset in Egypt
Heba Alashry · Dr., AAST Entrepreneurship Center, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT), League of Arab States (https://ec.aast.edu/) · Egypt
09:30
12:30
New and Emerging TopicsPresentation OECD Headquarters, Breakout Rooms
Research Room 5, Emerging Topics
Parallel breakout sessions presenting research on mom entrepreneurship, family-business balance, intergenerational entrepreneurship, and succession. Chaired by senior scholars.
Ayman ElTarabishy, President, ICSB, Session Chair
Rico Baldegger, ICSB Fellow and Chair of SME World Forum Paris 2026, Session Chair
1
9:30–9:45
Information Governance for Cross-Border E-Commerce: From Adverse to Favorable Selection in Compliance and Competition – Insights from Brazil
Cristiano Morini · Professor, State University of Campinas · Brazil
withEduardo Avancci Dionisio · Post-doctoral researcher, State University of Campinas · Brazil
Anderson César Gomes Teixeira Pellegrino · Post-doctoral researcher, State University of Campinas · Brazil
Anibal Tavares Azevedo · Professor, State University of Campinas · Brazil
2
9:45–10:00
From Acceleration to Innovation Procurement: A Green Urban Solutions Initiative for African Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
Sylvie Gallier Howard · CEO, Equitable Cities Collaborative · United States
3
10:00–10:15
Internationalisation as a Catalyst: Twin Transformation Among Turkish SMEs
Seda Erdogan · Lead Researcher, Center for Applied Research in Finance · Turkey
withAhmet Vedat Akgiray · Chairperson, Center for Applied Research in Finance · Turkey
Hulusi Bahcivan · Lead Researcher, Center for Applied Research in Finance · Turkey
4
10:15–10:30
Clustering in Social Enterprise: From Policy Metaphor to Measurable Mechanism - A Cross-National Research Agenda
Isobel Cunningham · Lecturer/Researcher in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Atlantic Technological University · Ireland
withLaura Mc Cauley · Professor of Inclusive Entrepreneurship, Ulster University · United Kingdom
5
10:30–10:45
The Future of Academic Publishing: Insights from an ICSB Publishing Partner
Vicki Whittaker · Executive Publisher for Business, Management, and Economics Journals, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
10:45–11:00
Quick Coffee Break
6
11:00–11:15
The Future of Entrepreneurship: Emerging Global Trends from GEM
Beyond Adoption: How Psychological Ownership Turns GenAI Co-Creation into Business Model Innovation in SMEs
Yewon LEE · Researcher, Sogang University, Business Research Institute, · South Korea
8
11:30–11:45
Using AI for Teaching, Mentorship, Advising, and Re-Skilling: Preparing Talent for the Future of Work
Joseph A. Miranda, KCHS, KMCO · Assistant Dean, Operations, GW School of Business, GW School of Business · United States
withAyman El Tarabishy, Ph.D. · Teaching Professor of Management, GW School of Business; President & CEO, ICSB, GW School of Business; ICSB · United States
9
11:45–12:00
Beyond first-time internationalization: Supporting SME re-entry in foreign markets in times of Global Value Chain disruption
Jacopo Canello · Full Professor, University of Parma · Italy
withGianluca Capone · Associate Professor, University of Parma · Italy
Fabio Landini · Full Professor, University of Parma · Italy
Cristina Re · Postdoc researcher, University of Parma · Italy
Luigi Tredicine · Postdoc researcher, University of Parma · Italy
10
12:00–12:15
Resilient by purpose - The next era of sustainability
Rico Baldegger · Professor, Sawyer Business School, Suffolk University · United States
11
12:15–12:30
Human-Centered Entrepreneurship: Reimagining Entrepreneurship for Human Flourishing
Ayman El Tarabishy & Ki-Chan Kim · Editors, Human-Centered Entrepreneurship, Forthcoming 2027 · United States
12:30
14:00
NetworkingBreak OECD Headquarters — Foyer
Networking Lunch
Lunch with fellow researchers and conference participants.
14:30
17:30
PlenaryNetworking Station F
Innovation Ecosystem Experience at Station F
The full group reconvenes for an immersive visit to Station F, the world's largest startup campus, connecting the conference's research and policy conversations with entrepreneurship in practice.
