The Fifth China Social Entrepreneurship Research Forum, hosted by the School of Business Administration (SBA) of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (ZUEL) and the Ministry of Education’s Virtual Teaching and Research Office for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education in the Digital-Intelligence Era, co-organized by the China Social Entrepreneurship Research Center of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, and supported by the ZUEL School of Entrepreneurship, was successfully held at ZUEL’s Nanhu Campus from December 6th to 7th, 2025.
With the theme “China’s Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Era of Artificial Intelligence,” this year’s forum brought together nearly 100 distinguished scholars, early-career researchers, and practitioners from almost thirty leading universities and research institutes, including Tsinghua University, Peking University, Zhejiang University, and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Through ten high-level keynote speeches, four parallel academic sessions, and one “Meet the Editors” activity, the two-day forum facilitated extensive dialogue and intellectual exchange, jointly envisioning the theoretical development and practical pathways of social entrepreneurship in the digital-intelligence age.
Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony was chaired by Professor Wu Haitao, Dean of the School of Business Administration of ZUEL. Dean Wu extended a warm welcome to all participating scholars and representatives and reviewed the development of the forum since its inception, emphasizing its consistent commitment to integrating national strategies, societal needs, academic research, and innovative practices.
Professor Li Xiaoping, Assistant to the President of ZUEL and Director of the Department of Scientific Research, delivered the opening remarks on behalf of the university.
Keynote Speeches
The keynote sessions brought together leading scholars and cutting-edge perspectives. Ten eminent experts from top universities and research institutions delivered in-depth analyses and cross-disciplinary discussions on the forum’s central theme, examining it through multiple lenses including theoretical development, institutional design, technology ethics, strategic management, ecosystem collaboration, and practical case studies.
Morning Session on 6th December Chaired by Professor Xiong Shengxu, School of Business Administration, ZUEL.
Dr. Huang Sujian, Researcher at the Institute of Industrial Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, delivered a keynote titled “Can Business Models Be Recognized as Assets? An Accounting Confirmation Study Based on Asset Attributes and Property-Rights Mechanisms.”
Professor Ye Jingyi, Peking University Law School, presented “Corporate Social Value Innovation and the Construction of Social Rule of Law,” emphasizing the importance of boundaries and legal safeguards in enabling sustainable social innovation.
Professor Lei Jiaxi, Tsinghua University, delivered a talk titled “Intelligence for Good: AI-Enabled Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship,” highlighting that although technology itself is neutral, its applications must ultimately aim to enhance social welfare.
Afternoon Session on 6th December Chaired by Professor Hu Chuan, Vice Dean of the SBA, ZUEL.
Professor Xing Xiaoqiang, University of International Business and Economics, presented “Combinatorial Innovation in Business Models: Synergies and Conflicts.”
Professor Yang Jun, Zhejiang University, offered an outlook on “Planning for the Entrepreneurship Management Discipline under the 15th Five-Year Plan,” calling for a discipline system rooted in China’s unique context.
Professor Lin Song, Central University of Finance and Economics, presented “Regional Entrepreneurship and Income Inequality,” providing empirical insights supported by rigorous data.
Morning Session on 7th December Chaired by Professor Xiong Wei, Vice Dean of the SBA, ZUEL.
Professor Ran Rong, Chongqing University, delivered a keynote titled “Can Government-led Open Digital Innovation Drive Regional University–Industry Collaboration?” arguing that governments can become connectors of innovation by opening data and providing application scenarios.
Professor Zhang Guanglei, Wuhan University of Technology, presented “Workplace AI Role Innovation: Impacts on Employee Psychology and Behavior and Coping Strategies,” noting that AI adoption may bring both improved efficiency and challenges to employee skills and psychological security.
Professor Wei Wu, Wuhan University, delivered “Solving the Paradox of Technological Innovation: Nonlinear Mechanisms and Emerging Issues in University–Industry Collaborative Innovation,” stressing that social entrepreneurship is instrumental in bridging the “last mile” of technology transfer.
Afternoon Session on 7th December Chaired by Professor Mao Jianghua, SBA, ZUEL.
Professor Xu Tao, Tongji University, discussed Salesforce’s well-known “1-1-1” model in his keynote “Innovative Models for Corporate Commercial and Social Value Creation.”
Professor Liu Zhiyang, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, concluded with “Social Entrepreneurship Theory in the Digital-Intelligence Era,” asserting that emergent digital technologies are reshaping the entire value chain of social entrepreneurship.
Parallel Research Sessions
On the afternoon of 6th December, four parallel sessions were held simultaneously, featuring nearly forty young scholars and graduate students presenting cutting-edge research across topics such as: AI and social innovation and entrepreneurship, social enterprise value and impact assessment, digital empowerment and social innovation, rural revitalization and social entrepreneurship. The presentations covered algorithmic ethics, digital inclusion, impact investing, rural e-commerce, community eldercare, and more. Each session was moderated and commented on by experienced scholars and journal editors, including Liu Xiao, Deputy Director, Nankai Business Review; Zhou Ying, Director and Senior Editor, Research and Development Management; Lin Daomi, Director, Management Research; Song Yonggang, Executive Editor-in-Chief, Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Monthly and Professors from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Tianjin University, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, ZUEL and many universities.
They offered rigorous academic feedback and guidance, fostering vibrant scholarly exchange and demonstrating the momentum of research in social entrepreneurship.
Meet the Editors Session
To further support the scholarly development of young researchers, the forum organized a “Meet the Editors” session chaired by Associate Professor Wan Hua, Deputy Director of the Department of Business Administration of the SBA, ZUEL. Senior editors from top management journals, including Nankai Business Review, Research and Development Management, Management Research, and Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Monthly provided in-depth advice on academic publishing.
Closing Ceremony
The closing ceremony took place on 7th December at the Wenji Lecture Hall of ZUEL.
It was chaired by Party Secretary Yu Xiaopeng, School of Business Administration.
Vice President Chen Shi of ZUEL delivered the closing remarks.
Vice President Chen and Professor Liu Zhiyang jointly released the new book Social Entrepreneurship Research Frontiers, edited by Professor Liu.
The ceremony concluded with the announcement of the forum’s five Outstanding Paper Awards, with the winning young scholars invited on stage to receive their certificates.
Social entrepreneurship concerns not only the power of business and technology for social good, but also society’s collective progress. The intellectual insights generated at the Fifth China Social Entrepreneurship Research Forum will continue to guide China’s social entrepreneurship endeavors as they navigate the waves of the digital-intelligence era, contributing vital innovative energy toward the aspiration for a better life.