Join us for an interactive two-days event to gain state-of-the-art knowledge around scaling through paper presentations by top academics and engage in workshops and roundtables with our community of entrepreneurs, academics and industry experts. Rotterdam School of Managament (RSM) and Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship (ECE) are honoured to host the third edition of the European Scaleup Conference in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on June 2-3! 

Part of the two-day conference is the special track 'Scaling in Transition', only on the afternoon of the 2nd of June and focusing on three themes: Energy Transition, Digital, and Glass Value Chain. The special track will have Mastermind Roundtables for startup and scaleup entrepreneurs working in those themes, next to an inspiring panel and keynote. Together with the regular conference guests, drinks and dinner provide great networking and exchange opportunities.

Check out the event website for more information, such as the detailed programme, speakers, venues, travel and hotel suggestions, and latest news leading up to the conference: https://scaleupinstitute.eu/event/scaleup-conference/. Contact us if you want to partner up for the European Scaleup Conference: Leonardo Fuligni (fuligni@ece.nl). 

 

Programme

[Schedule is subject to slight changes leading up to the conference, find the most recent programme and information on the event website.]

 

Day 1: 2 June, 2025

09:00 - 09:30 Arrival with coffee/tea & registration  

09:30 - 10:00 Opening & Welcome  

10:00 - 10:30 Dries Faems (Professor of Entrepreneurship at WHU Business School) presents the European Scaleup Monitor in conversation with Michiel Scheffer (President of the Board of the European Innovation Council) and Chantal Schrijver (Head of EIB Group NL)

10:30 - 11:00 Break 

11:00 - 12:30 Parallel Paper Presentations  

12:30 - 14:00 Lunch  

14:00 - 14:30 Keynote on Scaling - Academic's Perspective by Prof. dr. Nicole Coviello (Visiting professor at LUT Business School)

14:30 - 16:00 Parallel Sessions with Entrepreneurs & Paper Presentations

16:00 - 16:30 Break  

16:30 - 17:15 Keynote on Scaling - Entrepreneur's Perspective by Clare Jones (CEO at Polarsteps)

17:15 - 17:30 Live with Scaleup Event Canada

17:30 - 19:00 Networking Drinks - Together with Special Track 'Scaling in Transition'

19:00 - 21:00 Conference Dinner - Together with Special Track 'Scaling in Transition'

 

>> Special Track: Scaling in Transition (2 June)

12:30 - 13:30 Arrival with lunch & registration

13:30 - 13:45 Welcome 

13:45 - 14:25 Panel: Scaling in Transition with Liselore Havermans PhD (Senior Program Manager at TKI Bouw & Techniek), Ronald Huisman (Professor of Sustainable Energy Finance at Erasmus School of Economy), Anitha (Co-Founder & CTO at Senergetics) and Stef Clevers (Co-Founder & Director at TransitionHERO)

14:25 - 14:30 Introduction: Mastermind roundtables with three themes

• Energy transition
• Digitalisation
• Glass value chain

14:30 - 15:15 Mastermind roundtables round 1

15:15 - 16:00 Mastermind roundtables round 2

16:00 - 16:30 Break with coffee/tea (joint programme with regular conference from here onwards)

16:30 - 17:15 Keynote with Florent Geerts (Managing Director at Delft Imaging Systems, Top 250 Impact Scaler of 2024)

17:15 - 17:30 Live with Scaleup Event Canada

17:30 - 19:00 Networking Drinks

19:00 - 21:00 Conference Dinner

 

Day 2: 3 June, 2025

08:30 - 09:00 Arrival with coffee/tea  

09:00 - 09:45 Panel Discussion on Scaleup Ecosystems with Simone Brummelhuis (Founder & Managing Partner at Borski Fund), Hamed Sadeghian (CEO of Nearfield Instruments), Sonja Meijerink (Director of Sourcing at Utilus), and Maarten Bosch (CEO Mosa Meat) 

09:45 - 11:15 Parallel Paper Presentations  

11:15 - 11:45 Break  

11:45 - 12:15 Keynote "The Hidden Forces of Scaling: Understanding the role of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems” by Yu Liu (Academic Director and Associate Professor at Rotterdam School of Management)

12:15 - 12:45 Closing Remarks  

14:00 - 15:30 Optional: PhD and Junior Scholar Workshop by Prof. dr. Tom Mom (Professor of Strategic Growth and Implementation at Rotterdam School of Management)

 

PhD and Junior Scholar Workshop (3 June)

Register now for the workshop taking place on Tuesday, June 3, 14:00–15:30 hrs. The aim of the workshop is for you to get in-depth feedback from various perspectives on some of your current work. That can be an early-stage research project or more advanced work.

The format of the workshop will be a roundtable setting with each table having a maximum of four participants and a leading senior scholar in the field. Participants will shortly present their work (3 minute research elevator pitch) focusing on questions or issues which they would like to discuss. These can, for instance, be about the positioning, theory development, research design & execution, journal choice, etc.

Submissions including the questions will be sent to the table chair and participants two weeks before the start of the conference so that everyone can prepare well.

Requirements:

Send your work (can be a paper or a 2–5 page summary) which you want to discuss including three questions of issues. To tmom@rsm.nl before May 15, 2025.

The workshop is also open to PhD students or young researchers who do not act as a presenter during the conference.

 

Special Ticket for EIC Companies in the Glass/Greenhouse Cluster (1-3 June)

As part of a partnership between the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship (ECE), EIC companies in the glass/greenhouse cluster can join the European Scaleup Conference with a special ticket and programme for €675.00. This includes access to the European Scaleup Conference and participation in a cluster delegation visit on the 1st and 3rd of June.

Thanks to this collaboration, 50% of the ticket cost is reimbursable through the EIC, making this a valuable and cost-effective opportunity for innovative companies to connect, learn, and grow within the European ecosystem.

 

 

Tickets:

• Early bird - full conference (max 40 tickets - available till 23 March, 2025): € 495
• Regular - full conference: € 595
• PhD student - full conference (PhD status will be validated): € 395 
• Special Track: Scaling in Transition (limited access afternoon 2 June only): € 350
• Special Ticket for EIC companies in glass/greenhouse sector incl. cluster delegation visit: €675
• Networking Dinner at Euromast (Included in Regular and Special Track tickets): €100

*purchase prices include 0% VAT and service charges

 

Cancellation Policy European Scaleup Conference:

1. The Client has the right to cancel his/her/their participation in the Event free of charge within a term of fourteen (14) calendar days after receipt of the Written confirmation of the Registration / Ticket Receipt, unless the start date of the Event is within that term and cancellation is not possible.  
2. A Client that opts for cancellation, must notify RSM and ECE in Writing on jjansen@rsm.nl and communication@ece.nl. The cancellation notice must contain a copy of the Confirmation Email / Ticket Receipt which the Client received after Registration / Ticket Purchase.  

 

European Scaleup Institute

The European Scaleup Institute is a platform of academic experts and practitioners in Europe for scaleups, high-growth firms, governmental organisations and policymakers to address the scaleup gap. Our mission is to enable Europe to become a leading global scaleup ecosystem. We aim to do this through joint research and educational initiatives across borders, sharing best practices and building a strong knowledge community around scaling up. 

Our Partners

• AIR Offices Rotterdam

• Erasmus Centre for Energy Transitions

• Erasmus Enterprise

• Esade Scaleup & Growth Strategy Centre

• ESSEC Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

• European Innovation Council

• Galway Centre for Entrepreneurial Growth and Scaling

• International Workplace Group plc.

• LUISS Business School

• Municipality of Rotterdam

• Nova SBE Haddad Entrepreneurship Institute

• Rotterdam School of Management & Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship

• Vlerick Centre for Excellence in Scaleups

• WHU The Chair of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technological Transformation

---