2nd International Conference of RNI Maghreb

The world is facing simultaneity of crises, such as the recurrent financial crises, ecological and climatic disasters, the health crisis, the regional military conflicts that are becoming internationalized, the political contestations and revolts as well as the food crisis. The simultaneity, even the concomitance of these facts, undermine the dominant economic paradigm, which is characterized by neoliberal globalization, an economy of abundance and the destruction of resources, and have consequently produced massive and long-term effects on the world economy.

These events will inevitably induce new compositions of partnerships, new economic balances and new paradigms, announcing a new economic shift. They also lead to recomposing the world economy around new regional balances and paradigms, and will probably lead the European Union and the other countries of the North to reconsider their partnerships with the Southern countries on new bases, particularly based on innovation, allowing the emergence and development of new geopolitical and geostrategic blocks and regional partnerships. The need to highlight new sources of regional attractiveness is gaining ground, particularly in the Southern countries, as well as the importance of geographical proximity and cooperation between the North and South blocks.

It is therefore urgent to reinvent the economy based on innovation. The role of innovation in economic growth have been largely explored and analysed by Schumpeter (1942), who had shown above all that technological progress is at the origin of long-term growth (Ben Slimane and Maarouf, 2017). More recently, and through several initiatives, the European Union (EU) has often committed to fostering innovation and research in Southern countries via a process of entrepreneurial discovery. The objective is twofold: (1) to reduce regional disparities and (2) to remain the most advanced in terms of technological progress.

The current context of multifactorial crisis requires “innovating innovation” to restore the human (inclusion and human dignity), the physical (environment and ecology) and the biological (health and prevention of sanitary disasters) at the heart of economic equations and to inscribe the economy in strong sustainability models (Beltramello, Bootz, 2022): innovation in terms of economic philosophy, global development, public approaches and policies, competitiveness of local, national and regional ecosystems, sectoral and corporate business models, but also lifestyles and consumption patterns.

Through the acquisition, combination and mobilization of these competencies, the innovation actor (entrepreneur or organization) creates technological resources and evolves the relationships it has with its environment (Laperche, 2017). This awareness goes along with the need for the development of new models that are innovative and likely to produce innovation, thus pushing for the development of a human and intelligent “entrepreneurial” dimension with new innovative specializations.

The conference intends to explore under various and multidisciplinary perspectives of the new economic and organisational trends that are taking shape, of the new guiding principles that are being put in place (or must be put in place) on the economic, social, political, organisational and human levels, and of the opportunities, sources and modalities for the operationalization of innovation that lie ahead.

The contributions should fall under one of the following sub-themes:

• The transfer of public innovation policies from North to South: between adoption and adaptation.

• Redefinition of complementarities and co-development of North-South relationships, Europe and Africa; new sources of regional integration.

• Training for innovation; Innovative entrepreneurship, and the role of international institutions supports and programmes.

• How to manage the duality between North and South countries in terms of sustainability?

• Crises and brain drain: economic and social consequences / opportunities and long-term impacts.

• Energy, water, food, ecological and climate issues, and the role of public policies.

• Emergence of new sectors, new Business-Models in traditional sectors -in particular in agriculture and Agri-business. Sustainable business models.

• Financial innovations and ecological transition.

• Reconfigurations of specialization and division of labour

• New new foundations of inter-firm cooperation, new organizational forms; industrial relocations, new conception(s) of work.

• New performance factors for entrepreneurial ecosystems, new stakeholders.

• Innovation and new entrepreneurial dynamics, new business models, new forms and methods of entrepreneurial support. Can foreign direct investment generate business creation?

• Economic inclusion: Future and renewal of social and solidarity entrepreneurship; circular economy.

• Sustainable and inclusive financing of innovation: The brakes on financial inclusion, new financial models, etc.

Key dates:

• Deadline for long abstract submissions (1500 words): 01 May 2023.
• Response after the decision of the scientific committee: 15 June 2023
• Deadline for submission of final papers: 10 September 2023
• Registration deadline: 15 September 2023
• Organisation of the conference: 25 to 27 October 2023.