Dr Judith TERSTRIEP (Economist) – is Head of Research »Department Innovation, Space & Culture« at the Institute for Work and Technology at the Westphalian University Gelsenkirchen, Germany and lecturer at the Ruhr-University Bochum. She has long-term experience in (social) innovation research. Primary research interests involve the interplay of innovation, (social) relations and knowledge from the perspective of innovation, management and spatial theory. Focal areas of work cover social innovation and its measurement, innovation strategies, regional development, smart and inclusive growth, networks & cluster, sectoral and regional analyses. Judith is well-experienced in the coordination of European, national and regional joint projects and has been appointed as an expert by the European Commission, federal ministries and various foundations. She received her doctorate from the TU Hamburg.