The SGH PhD Summer School 2026 explores leadership and innovation in the age of digital transformation, equipping doctoral researchers to bridge research and practice. Featuring advanced workshops led by internationally recognized experts, Professors Luca Mora, Matthias Fink, Mangirdas Morkunas, Paweł Wyrozębski, Anna Visvizi and Radosław Malik, the SGH PhD Summer School offers a unique insight into cutting-edge issues, developments and process that shape contemporary debates and inform policy-making. The explicit focus on research design, research methods, research dissemination, and subsequently translating research in actionable outputs, makes the SGH PhD Summer School a must for PhD students as they strive to grow and excel.
- For whom is the SGH PhD Summer School?
The SGH PhD Summer School is designed for current PhD students undertaking their training at the SGH Doctoral School, as well as for PhD candidates enrolled at other higher education institutions in Poland and abroad. The program is particularly relevant for early- to mid-stage doctoral researchers working in economics, management, sustainability studies, public policy, and related disciplines who are interested in advancing their methodological skills and engaging with interdisciplinary perspectives on innovation, leadership. and actionable research.
- Poster presentation
To maximize the value of your participation in the SGH PhD Summer School, you will be requested to make a poster presentation. It will serve as a unique opportunity to receive feedback on your thesis from experts and researchers involved in the delivery of the SGH PhD Summer School as well as from your peers. You will be required to print the poster A2 size, yourself. The organizers will facilitate their display.
- Requirements, registration and admissions’ process
Eligibility:
- The SGH PhD Summer School is open to current PhD students, primarily from SGH Warsaw School of Economics, but also from other higher education institutions in Poland and abroad; note, scan of the certificate of enrollment is required.
- Applicants should be pursuing research related to economics, management, innovation, public policy, or social sciences more broadly.
- Proficiency in English is required as all sessions will be conducted in English.
Application Requirements:
- Completed registration form (by May 30), via MS Forms
Registration form - Title of your poster presentation.
- Description of the objectives of you thesis (300 words)
Registration & Admission Process:
- Submit your application by June 30, 2026, 4 p.m.
- Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis by the organizing committee
- Accepted participants will be notified on a rolling basis
- Participation is free of charge, but places are limited. Early registration is encouraged.
For questions or further information, please contact: bsd@sgh.waw.pl
- Funding
- Participation in the SGH PhD Summer School is free of charge.
- You will still need to cover the cost of accommodation and travel to Warsaw though.
- Erasmus+ and other mobility schemes may be of use in this context. Please, ask your University.
- Programme
Day 1: Tuesday, June 30
- 13:00–14:00: Welcome and Opening Remarks
- 14:00–17:30: PhD Workshop: From Digital Innovation to Sustainable Urban Futures, Professor Luca Mora
- 17:30–19:00: Poster Session, Networking & Welcome Reception
Day 2: Wednesday, July 1
- 9:00–11:00: PhD Workshop: Turning Research Ideas into Evidence (Part I), Professor Mangirdas Morkunas. [please, bring your laptop]
- 11:00–11:15: Coffee break
- 11:15–13:00: Professional Skills’ Development Workshop: Public Speaking for Researchers, Dr Radosław Malik
- 13:00–13:30: Lunch
- 13:30–15:30: PhD Workshop: Leadership and Innovation in the Age of Digital Transformation (Part I), Professor Matthias Fink
- 15:30–15:45: Coffee break
- 15:45–17:45: PhD Workshop: Leadership and Innovation in the Age of Digital Transformation (Part II), Professor Matthias Fink
- 17:45–19:00: Poster session, including feedback
Day 3: Thursday, July 2
- 9:00–11:00: PhD Workshop: Turning Research Ideas into Evidence (Part II), Professor Mangirdas Morkunas. [please, bring your laptop]
- 11:00–11:15: Coffee break
- 11:15–13:00: Professional Skills Development Workshop: Navigating the Paper Submission and Review Process, Professors Anna Visvizi & Paweł Wyrozebski
- 13:00–13:30: Lunch
- 13:30–15:00: Wrap-Up Session & Awards Ceremony
- Workshops
Workshop: From Digital Innovation to Sustainable Urban Futures: Research, Leadership, and Policy Translation
Luca Mora, Ph.D., Professor, Edinburgh Napier University, The Business School, UK; Tallinn University of Technology, FinEst Centre for Smart Cities, Estonia; Co-Editor-in-Chief: Technological Forecasting and Social Change
This workshop provides a hands-on insight into the question of how cutting-edge research on digital technologies and smart sustainable urban development may be transformed into policy design, strategy negotiations and innovation. Through discussions, participants will examine how cities leverage data, AI, and digital solution to advance sustainability goals, and how academic leadership can guide this transition. Prof. Mora will emphasize the researcher’s role as aknowledge broker and leader, connecting research to policy innovation and impact. The participants will gain exposure to experience in building collaborative research agendas that inform decision-making, policy design, and long-term urban resilience. The session blends conceptual insights, case studies, and peer-to-peer reflection to help young scholars frame their work for both academic excellence and policy relevance.
Workshop: Leadership and Innovation in the Age of Digital Transformation: Bridging Research and Practice
Matthias Fink, Ph.D., Professor, Johannes Kepler University of Linz, Austria; Grenoble Ecole de Management, France; Executive Editor: Technological Forecasting and Social Change
This workshop guides PhD candidates through the strategic and leadership dimensions of innovation in a rapidly digitalizing world. Drawing on his extensive research in entrepreneurship, innovation management, and socio-technical transformation, Prof. Fink will explore how leadership, academic, organizational, and policy-oriented, acts as the crucial catalyst connecting rigorous research with tangible impact. Participants will examine frameworks of responsible and adaptive leadership, the dynamics of innovation ecosystems, and methods for translating scholarly findings into actionable strategies for firms, cities, and institutions. Through case studies, reflective exercises, and dialogue, the workshop equips emerging scholars to develop leadership mindsets that ensure their research not only advances theory but also drives sustainable, inclusive innovation in practice.
Workshop: Turning Research Ideas into Evidence: Research Design, Survey Construction, Validation Essentials
Mangirdas Morkunas, Ph.D., Professor, Vilnius University Business School, Vilnius, Lithuania
This workshop provides an insight into the basic elements of statistics and research design essential in view of conducting rigorous qualitative research. The workshop begins with an overview of how to choose an appropriate research design by comparing quantitative and qualitative approaches, followed by an introduction to survey research, including cross-sectional and longitudinal designs, how to build surveys based on a theoretical framework, research questions and hypotheses, and the operationalization of variables, as well as key reliability and validity indicators and basic data-processing techniques such as regression and structural equation modelling. The second part focuses on qualitative research foundations, covering experimental designs (in-group vs. between-groups), manipulation checks, and core analysis approaches, alongside expert interview techniques including pairwise comparison, pairwise comparison matrices, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and the Gioia methodology as a structured approach to inductive qualitative data analysis.
Professional Skills’ Development Workshop: Public speaking
Radosław Malik, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, SGH Warsaw School of Economics
This workshop focuses on enhancing communication skills; it is tailored to academic contexts, such as conference presentations, etc. It systematically addresses the preparation and structuring of speeches to ensure the effective delivery of key messages. Participants will acquire practical techniques for captivating their audience from the speech opening, as well as rhetorical strategies to reinforce their core arguments during the conclusion. The session also introduces essential tools – including the strategic use of pauses, internal summaries, and metaphors – to enhance clarity and engagement. By the end of the workshop, the attendees will be equipped with skills necessary to deliver impactful presentations in academic and other settings.
Professional Skills’ Development Workshop: Navigating the Paper Submission and Peer-Review Process
Anna Visvizi, Ph.D., Professor & Paweł Wyrozebski, Ph.D., Professor, SGH Warsaw School of Economics
The workshop on paper submission and the peer-review process, designed for participants of the doctoral summer school, introduces doctoral researchers to the key stages of academic publishing, from selecting an appropriate journal and preparing a submission to responding to editorial decisions and reviewer comments. The session explains the roles of editors and reviewers and clarifies common questions that often arise during the process, such as why reviews may take several months, what different manuscript statuses mean (including cases when a paper appears “unsubmitted”), and how editorial decisions are reached. Participants will also discuss practical “dos and don’ts” of manuscript submission, including effective communication with editors and strategies for responding to reviewers
- Speakers
Luca Mora, Ph.D., Professor of Urban Innovation, Head of Department (Entrepreneurship and Innovation), Director (Urban Innovation Policy Lab), Edinburgh Napier University, The Business School, UK; Professor of Urban Innovation Tallinn University of Technology, FinEst Centre for Smart Cities, Estonia; Co-Editor-in-Chief: Technological Forecasting and Social Change
Matthias Fink, Ph.D., Professor of Innovation Management at Johannes Kepler University of Linz, Austria; Professor of Strategy & Leadership at Grenoble Ecole de Management, France; Executive Editor: Technological Forecasting and Social Change
Mangirdas Morkunas, Ph.D., Professor of Marketing, Vilnius University Business School, Vilnius, Lithuania Radosław Malik, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Warsaw, Poland; & Convenor of the SGH Young Researcher Program
Paweł Wyrozebski, Ph.D., Professor of Entrepreneurship & Project Management, Dean of the SGH Doctoral School, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Warsaw, Poland; certified specialist in project management (PRINCE2®, AgilePM®, Scrum PSM), risk management (M_o_R®), portfolios management (MoP®) and project programs’ management (MSP®), as well as facilitation (Process Iceberg® Methodology)
Anna Visvizi, Ph.D., Professor of International Political Economy, Vice-Dean of the SGH Doctoral School, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Warsaw, Poland; Editor-in-Chief: Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy; Editor-inChief: Digital Policy, Regulation and Governance
- The Steering and Organizing Committee
- Anna Visvizi, Ph.D., Prof. SGH, Vice Dean of the SGH Doctoral School
- Paweł Wyrozębski, Ph.D., Prof. SGH, Dean of the SGH Doctoral School
- Ewelina Szczech-Pietkiewicz, Ph.D., Prof. SGH. Vice-Dean of the SGH Doctoral School
- Wioleta Gajek, Head of the SGH Doctoral School Office
Contact
For questions or further information, please contact: bsd@sgh.waw.pl
Held under the auspices of: Agnieszka Chłoń-Domińczak, Ph.D., Vice-Rector for Research, SGH Warsaw School of Economics
The SGH PhD Summer School is organized in the framework of the implementation of the: SGH Regional Initiative for Excellence (RID), RID SEMINAR, by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Republic of Poland.
We would like to express our gratitude to the Warsaw Convention Bureau for supporting the organization of the event.
Warsaw Convention Bureau, a part of the Warsaw Tourism Organisation (WOT), is a private-public association established by the Warsaw City Hall to promote Warsaw as an attractive individual and business tourism destination. To this end, the Warsaw Convention Bureau supports the organization of large conferences, fairs, and congresses in the city of Warsaw. Accordingly, the Warsaw Convention Bureau welcomes inquiries by Polish and international planners who consider holding their events in Warsaw.
SGH, ul. Madalińskiego 6/8, Building M
SGH Doctoral School