Judith Terstriep (Economist) is Head of Research »Department Innovation, Space & Culture« at the Institute for Work and Technology at the Westphalian University Gelsenkirchen 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 & its economic underpinnings, innovation strategies, regional development, smart & inclusive growth, networks & cluster, sectoral/regional analyses and benchmarking, innovation measurement. Judith is well-experienced in the coordination of European 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-Harburg.