Center for Business and Productivity Dynamics – CompNet, the Halle Institute for Economic Research, and the European Commission (DG Economic and Financial Affairs) are pleased to announce the 15th Annual IWH-CompNet Conference, to be held at the European Commission in Brussels on October 22–23, 2026. The conference will focus on productivity enhancement in Europe and the role of industrial policy, competition, and market structure in shaping long-term growth and economic resilience.

Productivity growth in Europe remains subdued, yet it is essential for sustaining living standards, supporting the green and digital transitions, and strengthening resilience in an increasingly fragmented global economy. The challenge of boosting productivity growth features prominently in high-level policy reflections, including the Letta Report on the future of the Single Market and the Draghi Report on European competitiveness, as well as in the European Commission’s policy agenda.

A central theme of the conference is how Europe can reconcile potentially competing policy goals. Industrial policies aimed at fostering scale, innovation, and strategic autonomy may support productivity growth, but they can also raise concerns regarding market concentration, reduced competitive pressure, and consumer welfare. Conversely, competition policies that prioritise consumer choice may limit the emergence of firms with sufficient scale to innovate and compete globally. The conference will provide a forum for policy-relevant academic research that offers micro-based evidence to assess trade-offs, complementarities, and design choices.

The conference features theoretical and empirical contributions, particularly papers using firm-level, micro-aggregated, or harmonised cross-country data, including IWH-CompNet data and national microdata infrastructures. In line with the IWH-CompNet tradition, the aim is to foster a structured dialogue between academic research and policymaking by highlighting evidence-based insights into productivity, reallocation, innovation, and firm dynamics. The programme will combine academic paper sessions with policy discussions involving researchers and policymakers from European institutions and national authorities.

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Program and Registration

Registration: The Call for Papers is now closed, and successful authors have been notified. Please register for the conference here. 

Conference Program: You can access the preliminary program here.

• Keynote Speaker: Kalina Manova (University College London)
• Organisers: Center for Business and Productivity Dynamics – CompNet, Halle Institute for Economic Research, European Commission (DG ECFIN)
• Scientific Committee: Filippo di Mauro (IWH-CompNet), Javier Miranda (IWH-CBPD), Eric Bartelsman (Vrije Universiteit), Alessandro Turrini (DG ECFIN), Luis Garcia Lombardero (DG ECFIN), Rolf Strauch (ESM, CEPR, RPN) 

Contact and Inquiries

For organizational or logistical questions, please contact: cbpd-assistance@iwh-halle.de