Presentation by Prof. Dr. Alina Sorgner in the Jena Economic Research Seminar

Presentation by Prof. Dr. Alina Sorgner in the Jena Economic Research Seminar

On June 24, Prof. Dr. Alina Sorgner (John Cabot University Rome, Kiel Institute for the World Economy, and IZA@LISER) visited our chair and presented her current research on artificial intelligence and regional entrepreneurship in the Jena Economic Research Seminar. In her presentation entitled “Emerging AI Entrepreneurship Ecosystems in European Regions”, Prof. Dr. Sorgner introduced a novel conceptual framework for AI entrepreneurship ecosystems and presented empirical evidence on the prevalence, distribution, and determinants of AI startups across European regions. Drawing on a unique web-based database of nearly 20,000 AI firms, she demonstrated how the quality of regional entrepreneurial ecosystems, together with AI-specific resources such as AI infrastructure and knowledge, shapes the emergence of AI entrepreneurship in Europe.

The presentation sparked an engaging discussion on the importance of regional ecosystems for fostering AI entrepreneurship, the implications of the European AI Act, and future research opportunities at the intersection of artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, and regional economic development.