The Business & Society cluster explores how digital technologies can be leveraged to foster responsible innovation, societal transformation, and entrepreneurial impact. It investigates how and under which conditions digital systems can support sustainable economic activity, strengthen public institutions, and enable human-centered progress. Operating at the interface of technology and society, the cluster brings together academic research and applied expertise to generate measurable societal value.
About the cluster
The chairs within the cluster address a diverse set of challenges at the intersection of digital technology, economy, and society. Their research covers areas such as design thinking and systems innovation, the legal and ethical regulation of emerging technologies, financial technologies and algorithmic markets, as well as digital inequality and trust in technology. Together, the chairs contribute to advancing academic knowledge and educating future leaders equipped to critically shape digital transformation across sectors.
Complementing this academic mission, the cluster integrates the applied expertise of HPI’s innovation, entrepreneurship, and professional education centers: the HPI d-school, HPI Engine Entrepreneurship and Startup Center, HPI Maker Universe, and HPI Professional Development. These institutions play a vital role within the cluster and across HPI. They provide cross-functional capabilities that enable the development of innovative, research-based teaching formats, incubating science- and technology-based startups and ventures, hands-on experimentation and prototyping, and upskilling professionals and organizations. By supporting all HPI clusters, they foster collaboration, amplify teaching innovation, and ensure that research, knowledge, and technologies are effectively translated into solutions with real-world impact.
Academic Chairs & Research Areas
- Design Thinking and Innovation Research (Prof. Falk Uebernickel): Evidence-based design, systems innovation, and the development of sustainable digital solutions in complex environments. More
- Digital Technology, Governance and Policy (Prof. Gillian Bolsover): Societal and political consequences of digital technologies, online mis/disinformation, digital and democratic inequalities, and public trust in science and technology. More
- Technology and Regulation (Prof. Sandra Wachter): Legal and ethical governance of digital technologies, focusing on AI regulation, algorithmic accountability, and the societal implications of data-driven systems. More
- Financial Technologies (N.N. – appointment in preparation): Quantitative finance, credit risk modeling, and the algorithmic transformation of global financial markets.
Academic Teaching and Learning Innovation
The cluster drives innovation in teaching by combining technical and domain-specific knowledge with entrepreneurial, ethical, and systems thinking. Key characteristics:
- Interdisciplinary, experience-driven formats
- Peer learning and real-world projects
- International collaboration and global exposure
- Close cooperation with other clusters to bridge hard tech skills and societal applications
These learning principles are also embedded across the cluster’s platforms, ensuring a unified approach to educational excellence from Bachelor’s level to executive development.
Application-oriented Cluster Institutions
Four complementary institutions power the cluster’s translational and educational mission, each contributing a unique dimension to impact generation:
HPI School of Design Thinking (d-school): Advanced education in human-centered innovation and professional development in leadership and transformation. More
Head: Monika Frech
HPI Engine Entrepreneurship and Startup Center: Entrepreneurial and leadership empowerment platform for students and researchers to translate digital innovation into products, startups, ventures, and entrepreneurial solutions. More
Director: Dr. Frank Pawlitschek; Head of Program: David Hahn
HPI Maker Universe: Prototyping and creation lab supporting hands-on experimentation and interdisciplinary transfer across all clusters. More
Head: Dr. Holger Rhinow
HPI Professional Development: Offers open and customized learning formats for professionals, executives, and organizations, equipping them with the mindsets, methods, and capabilities to lead innovation and transformation in the digital age. The programs integrate leadership, design thinking, and digital fluency to support lifelong learning. More
Head: Flavia Bleuel
Together, these components make the Business & Society cluster a strategic engine for interdisciplinary teaching, impact-oriented research, and technology-based innovation, advancing HPI’s mission to educate responsible digital leaders who shape the future of society, business, and public value.
Cluster Members
Dr. Frank Pawlitschek
Cluster Coordinator and Director HPI Engine
Phone: +49 331 5509-4915
Mail: frank.pawlitschek@hpi.de
Prof. Dr. Gillian Bolsover
Head of Digital Technology, Governance and Policy
Phone: +49 331 5509-571
Mail: gillian.bolsover@hpi.de
Research Focuses:
- Disinformation and Digital Inequality
- Public Trust in Science and Technology
- Crisis Communication and Health Narratives
- Digital Governance and Platform Accountability
Prof. Dr. Sandra Wachter
Head of Technology and Regulation
Phone: +49 331 5509-215
Mail: sandra.wachter@hpi.de
Research Focuses:
- AI Governance and Algorithmic Accountability
- Technology, Ethics, and Human Rights
- Data Protection and Legal Frameworks for Digital Innovation
- Regulation of Emerging Technologies
Affiliate Cluster Members
Prof. Dr. Lothar Wieler
Head of Digital Global Public Health
Phone: +49 331 5509-165
Mail: office-wieler@hpi.de
Research Focuses:
- data-driven digital applications for Global Public Health
- public health communications
- disease prevention
- access to digital health
Dr. Frank Pawlitschek
Cluster Coordinator and Director HPI Engine
Phone: +49 331 5509-4915
Mail: frank.pawlitschek@hpi.de
Flavia Bleuel
Head of Professional Development
Phone: +49 331 5509-468
Mail: flavia.bleuel@hpi.de
Last change: 16/06/2026, Patrick Lenz