‘Business and Technology Conference 2026’ programme announced

On Tuesday, 14 April, during International Week at Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution, the Faculty of Business, together with the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Technologies, is organising the international scientific conference Business and Technology Conference 2026. This year’s conference theme, Sustainable and Intelligent Business Resilience, will invite the academic community, business and technology experts, and innovation developers to discuss how organisations today build the capacity not only to withstand change, but also to turn it into opportunities for growth.

The relevance of this topic stems from an increasingly complex contemporary environment in which businesses operate amid geopolitical tension, technological breakthroughs, climate change, regulatory shifts, and economic uncertainty. In this context, resilience can no longer be understood merely as the ability to survive a crisis. Rather, it is increasingly associated with organisations’ ability to act strategically, innovate, make data-driven decisions, ensure sustainability, and maintain competitiveness in a rapidly changing environment.

During the plenary session, presentations will be delivered by experts with extensive international and interdisciplinary experience. One of them is Ákos R. Wetters, a business executive, educator, education expert, and mentor from the Netherlands.

With more than 25 years of experience in entrepreneurship, supply chain management, and open innovation, the speaker places strong emphasis on fostering innovative thinking and an entrepreneurial culture. He consistently highlights the importance of practical learning and challenge-based education, and regards mentoring as one of the most effective ways to inspire students, professionals, and start-ups to embrace change.

At the conference, Ákos R. Wetters will deliver the plenary presentation Getting Regions into Flow: Aligning Learning, Innovation, and Collaboration for Real Resilience, in which he will examine how learning, innovation, and collaboration can become the foundation of genuine regional resilience.

Another plenary speaker is Dr Karolina Trakšelytė-Rupšienė, Coordinator of the BioTech Lab Division at Innovation Agency Lithuania.

Her professional work focuses on building a dynamic innovation ecosystem that connects the academic community with business in the life sciences, agriculture, and food sectors. Holding a doctoral degree in chemical engineering and having also gained industrial experience, she actively works in the fields of innovation development, cross-sectoral cooperation, and the implementation of new solutions.

At the conference, she will deliver the presentation Shaping the Future of Food Innovation: Building a Sandbox to Bridge Regulatory Gaps, which will analyse the preconditions for faster food innovation development and for reducing regulatory gaps.

The plenary session will also feature Prof. Dr Margarita Šešelgytė, an expert in international relations and security policy who analyses geopolitical processes, changes in the international order, and their impact on the security of states and societies.

In her academic and expert work, she places particular focus on defence policy, regional conflicts, and strategic shifts shaping today’s global agenda. Her insights are especially relevant today, as the business environment is becoming increasingly intertwined with geopolitical uncertainty, issues of energy security, and new global threats.

At the conference, Prof. Dr Margarita Šešelgytė will deliver the plenary presentation The New World Order and Our Security, in which she will discuss the changing international order, the security challenges it poses, and how these processes affect the resilience of states, organisations, and societies.

On the day of the conference, activities will take place across nine thematic sections. These will address such areas as artificial intelligence and digital resilience, financial resilience and climate risk management, cybersecurity and data protection, resilient organisations and leadership, supply chain and geopolitical resilience, energy reliability, as well as issues related to tourism, hospitality, sport, and wellbeing management. Particular attention will also be given to social entrepreneurship in the agriculture and food production sectors, as well as to the application of mathematics in solving contemporary business and technology challenges.

This thematic diversity also reflects the very nature of the conference itself: it is a platform where different disciplines, experiences, and perspectives come together. The event is intended for the academic community, doctoral students, and professionals in business, economics, and technology, with the aim of strengthening dialogue between science and practice, promoting scientific discussion, and sharing innovative ideas on the role of technology and business in contributing to economic growth and social change. 

Such interaction is particularly important today, as complex challenges increasingly require multifaceted solutions grounded in research, analysis, and practical experience, while the principles of sustainability, digital solutions, and interdisciplinary cooperation are becoming essential preconditions for a resilient future.

The event will be held in English.

Please note that photography and filming will take place during the event. Therefore, you may appear in photographs or video recordings from the event, which may be published in publicly accessible spaces, including social media, the media, and further event communication.