ISBE 2026: Resilient and Regenerative Entrepreneurship – Navigating Climate Challenges and the Circular Economy
4 November 2026 – Doctoral Day (MTU Bishopstown Campus)
5–6 November 2026 – Main Conference (Rochestown Park Hotel, Douglas, Cork City)
Entrepreneurship and small business today operate in an environment shaped by climate disruption, resource constraints and changing social expectations. The ISBE 2026 conference theme – “Resilient and Regenerative Entrepreneurship: Navigating Climate Challenges and the Circular Economy” – invites ISBE’s diverse community to examine how these pressures intersect with core concerns such as business creation and early-stage development, SME growth and performance, entrepreneurial learning, ethics, inclusion and place-based development. We are interested in how resilience and regeneration are interpreted and enacted across different entrepreneurial forms and contexts, rather than being confined to a narrow “green” agenda.
In Cork we will explore how entrepreneurs, small businesses and support organisations in sectors such as agri-food, tourism, rural and coastal enterprise, creative industries, technology and advanced manufacturing are adapting their models, practices and collaborations. This spans design for durability, repair, reuse and circularity, and how finance, policy, education and support infrastructures shape the capacity of different groups and communities to navigate climate and resource challenges. Contributions drawing on a wide range of methods and practitioner insights are welcomed.
ISBE has a long history of connecting practitioners and policymakers with business support professionals and academics. ISBE 2026 will continue this tradition by prioritising dialogue and co-creation: bringing together those who start, run and grow ventures, those who support under-represented groups, those who design and deliver enterprise education, those who craft policy and support mechanisms, and those who research and teach entrepreneurship. Conference activities – including keynotes, panels, track sessions, practitioner forums, round tables, and research papers – will be structured to ensure that research informs policy and practice and that practitioner and policy communities actively shape the research agenda.
Cork: Ireland’s “real capital”
Cork is Ireland’s second city – often affectionately known as “the real capital” – combining a compact, historic centre with a thriving contemporary cultural and culinary scene. Located on the River Lee, with one of the world’s largest natural harbours, Cork has a long maritime and trading history and is now one of Ireland’s fastest-growing urban regions, recognised for its food culture, creative industries and friendly, walkable city centre.
Delegates can enjoy Cork’s food scene – from the historic English Market to independent cafés, bars and acclaimed restaurants – alongside its music, arts and festival culture. Cork is also an ideal base from which to explore the wider South West: the Wild Atlantic Way, West Cork’s coastal communities and the landscapes of Kerry, including Killarney National Park and the Ring of Kerry, are all within easy reach.
The main conference will be held at the 4* Rochestown Park Hotel in Douglas, Cork city – a major conference venue offering extensive meeting space, accommodation and leisure facilities, close to the city centre, Cork Airport and Kent Railway Station.
Munster Technological University and the South West enterprise ecosystem
Munster Technological University (MTU) is a multi-campus technological university with a strong regional mission across Cork and Kerry, including the Bishopstown Campus in Cork, campuses in Tralee, and specialist art, music and maritime campuses.
The ISBE 2026 Doctoral Day will take place at MTU’s Bishopstown Campus, home to programmes in business, science, computing, engineering, media communications and humanities, as well as key research and industry support centres. The campus houses the Rubicon Centre, MTU’s on-campus business incubator, which supports entrepreneurs and start-ups through flexible space, mentoring and access to national programmes such as New Frontiers.
The South West region – encompassing Cork and Kerry – combines global multinationals, established SMEs and scaling start-ups across technology, pharmaceuticals and life sciences, energy, maritime, tourism, agrifood and the creative industries. This ecosystem is underpinned by regional partnerships, Local Enterprise Offices, Enterprise Ireland supports, sectoral clusters and incubators such as the Rubicon Centre in Cork and the Tom Crean Business Centre at Kerry Technology Park in Tralee. Together, these actors create an environment in which resilient and regenerative entrepreneurship can thrive. ISBE 2026 will offer participants opportunities to connect with this ecosystem through engagement with MTU staff and students, interactions with incubated ventures and regional partners, and exposure to practice-based examples of innovation emerging from the South West.
Invitation
At ISBE 2026 in Cork, we invite researchers, doctoral candidates, educators, practitioners, policymakers and business support professionals to join us in examining how entrepreneurial ecosystems can support resilient and regenerative futures. Across the Doctoral Day at MTU Bishopstown Campus and the main conference at Rochestown Park Hotel, participants can expect a vibrant, engaged and welcoming environment in which to share research, reflect on practice, shape policy debates and build new collaborations – all while experiencing the distinctive charm, culture and hospitality of Cork and Ireland’s South West.
Conference Chairs
Dr Trudie Murray
Dr Breda O’Dwyer
