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Study trips

Immerse yourself in innovation ecosystems across the world

Innovation leaders rarely get the chance to see firsthand how another region's ecosystem works.

Study trips take participants inside the labs, hubs, and facilities that power leading innovation ecosystems — not as observers, but in direct dialogue with the leaders driving them.

 

​From Birmingham (2024) to Lisbon (2025) and San Diego (2026), with Tsukuba, Japan next in 2027, our study trips are the field component of the URLF initiative on Leadership in Place-Making Innovation.

 

Study trips are an exclusive benefit of GFCC membership.

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On every trip, leaders confront the same four challenges, and leave with the insights, relationships, and partnerships to keep making progress on them

Attracting talent and investment

Structuring academia–business partnerships that work

Accelerating commercialization and start-up creation

Aligning university, government and industry

Our Next Study Trip

University of Tsukuba and Tsukuba Global Innovation Promotion Agency (Tsukuba, Japan)

           February 15-18, 2027

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We are excited to announce that we're heading to Tsukuba, Japan. The program is organized around four themes: the university as an anchor for regional transformation, the evolution from science city to ecosystem, microbial bioeconomy and sustainability, and the industrial connection platforms linking research assets to startups and corporate partners.

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Explore Past Study Trips

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UC San Diego
(San Diego, USA)

In July 2026, leaders from universities, industry, and government across nine countries joined UC San Diego for a study trip inside one of the world’s leading science and technology hubs, with visits to the Qualcomm Institute, the DIII-D National Fusion Facility, and Illumina.

- What we learned

  • Build workforce, not employer incentives: companies relocate easily, talent doesn’t

  • Design incentives that make collaboration rational, not just well-meant

  • Budget years, not months, to build partnerships that last

Universidade Católica Portuguesa
(Lisbon, Portugal)

In July 2025, GFCC leaders traveled to Lisbon, the 2023 European Capital of Innovation, for an immersive look at Portugal’s academic and entrepreneurial landscape, with visits to Unicorn Factory Lisboa, the Beato Innovation District, the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, and Siemens.

- What we learned

  • Universities are economic anchors: they turn research into products and attract global talent

  • Success takes a “Quadruple Helix” of academia, industry, government, and civil society, built on shared vision rather than top-down mandates

  • Lisbon’s openness to global talent and markets makes size no barrier to competing worldwide

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Aston University
(Birmingham, UK)

In November 2024, the GFCC community gathered in Birmingham for the inaugural study trip, launching the Leadership in Place-making Innovation initiative chaired by Prof. Aleks Subic. It marked the start of a multi-year journey of study trips and leadership dialogues bringing together universities, government, industry, and civil society.

- What we learned

  • Collaboration built on trust across universities, industry, government, and communities is the cornerstone of innovation

  • Inclusivity strengthens ecosystems: the benefits of progress must reach everyone

  • Universities excel when they align with regional strengths while keeping a global perspective

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