Cindy Rentrop is a postdoctoral researcher in the ISPP research group, working at the intersection of innovation studies, regional studies, economic geography, and management. Her research focuses on regional innovation cultures, the role of SMEs and Hidden Champions in regional transformation processes, and the impact of technological change on organizational structures, work cultures, and regional competitiveness.
In her dissertation, “Seeing (like) a Region: Interrogating Visibility in Innovation Policy,” she examined how regions, firms, and institutions construct innovation strategies and future narratives to position themselves within global innovation competition. Building on this work, she developed the concept of “visibility cultures,” framing visibility as a strategic resource of regional development. Her research shows how Mittelstand-driven “hidden regions” strengthen innovation capacity through selective visibility, institutional networks, and new forms of regional positioning.
Her current work explores the implementation of artificial intelligence in the Mittelstand and the transformation of work, innovation, and organizational processes in contexts of digital change. She is also interested in the role of dual-use technologies and questions of long-term regional innovation governance. Her work is strongly empirical, drawing on qualitative research conducted in industrial regions across Germany and Europe, including Heilbronn-Franken, Ostwestfalen-Lippe, and Emilia-Romagna.
Cindy Rentrop collaborates in several interdisciplinary research projects with partners from academia, industry, and policymaking. These include the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs–funded project “Innovation in the Digital Working Society,” the TUM–VDI collaborative initiative “AI, Engineers, and the Future of the German Economy,” and the research project “Hidden Regions: Innovation in the Periphery.”
She completed a B.A. in European Ethnology and Sociology at LMU Munich and completed an M.A. in Empirical Cultural Studies (LMU) with a focus on regional development and urban studies. She also holds a degree in Science and Technology Studies (M.A.) from the Technical University of Munich, further sharpening her profile at the intersection of technology, society, and science communication.
- InDigAr - Innovations in the Digital Work Society, 01.2025-12.2027
- Verborgene Regionen: Erforschung von Innovation in der Peripherie, 01.10.2020 - 30.09.2023 (Phase 1) und 2023 – 2027
- Rentrop, C. (2026). Seeing (like) a Region: Interrogating Visibility in Innovation Policy. mediaTUM. https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bvb:91-diss-20260122-1795567-0-4.
- Rentrop, C., John, S., Böschen, S., & Pfotenhauer, S. (2025). Long-term transition governance and regional innovation cultures: A comparative perspective. TATuP – Journal for Technology Assessment in Theory and Practice, 34(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.14512/tatup.7203
- Rentrop, C., Bandelow, L., & Perlinger, K. (2024). An Exploratory Analysis of the Impact of Philanthropic Investments on the Development of University Innovation and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems. Academy of Management Perspectives, 38(4), 492–511. https://doi.org/10.5465/amp.2023.0038
- Smolka, M., Braun, M., Greubel, C., Neudert, P., Rentrop, C., & Wiedemann, L. (2023). Being, doing, and using STS in Germany? Reflections on identity questions, normative commitments, and conceptual work after STS-hub.de 2023. EASST Review, 42(1). https://easst.net/easst-review/easst-review-volume-421-july-2023/being-doing-and-using-sts-in-germany-reflections-on-identity-questions-normative-commitments-and-conceptual-work-after-sts-hub-de-2023/