Professor Mingfeng Tang on a research visit at BETA: a scientific bridge between China and Strasbourg

BETA is currently hosting Professor Mingfeng Tang, a renowned specialist in innovation and entrepreneurship, in Strasbourg until July 2026. Her visit is part of an ongoing collaboration between BETA, the University of Strasbourg and the Franco-Chinese Research Centre on Innovation, which she founded and heads at the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (SWUFE).

An international career marked by scientific cooperation

After completing a Bachelor’s degree in International Finance at Liaoning University (China), Professor Mingfeng Tang continued her studies at the University of Strasbourg, where she obtained a Master’s degree and subsequently a PhD in Economic Management of Knowledge and Innovation.

Now a professor in China, this associate researcher at BETA sits on the strategic committee of the Higher Education and Research in Management of European Universities (HERMES) network and is also responsible for the Chinese component of several ERASMUS+ projects. She actively promotes industry-university-research cooperation and is convinced that scientific and technological cooperation between China and Europe offers vast potential.

Her career is rich in international experience, having served as a visiting professor at numerous universities: the University of Leeds (UK), the University of Strasbourg (France), the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management (Germany), the University of Hohenheim (Germany), Toyo University (Japan), the French University of Egypt and the University of Management and Economics in Bratislava (Slovakia).

Research at the heart of innovation dynamics

Professor Mingfeng Tang’s research focuses on innovation and entrepreneurship. Her publications – academic articles and books, in Chinese and English – cover a wide range of fields: green innovation in business, technology incubators, university-industry collaboration, national and regional innovation systems, transnational cooperation in science and technology, entrepreneurship and poverty reduction, cross-disciplinary innovation, and more.

In collaboration with members of BETA, she has contributed to research on the Chinese national innovation system, innovative learning ecosystems for entrepreneurial education, models for the commercialisation of scientific and technological outcomes between China and Europe, and a comparative study of the management of Franco-Chinese technology incubators.

This research has been published in internationally renowned journals and publications such as those of the OECD, EAIR, Technovation and the International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management.

A visit rich in exchanges, collaborations and research prospects

During her stay at BETA, Mingfeng Tang is working closely with Professor Thierry Burger-Helmchen on the preparation of a collective work devoted to innovation practices in China and Europe.

She also took part in one of the highlights of the laboratory’s calendar, the BETA Days, which took place on 26 and 27 March 2026 in Nancy. She will soon be participating in another major event for BETA: the international conference ISS 2026 – ‘Capitalism and Democracy: Paradigm Shifts and Creative Transformations‘, which will take place in Strasbourg from 1 to 4 July 2026.

Finally, she will use her time in Strasbourg to explore opportunities for developing new joint research projects.