Ioannis Giotopoulos is Associate Professor of Empirical Industrial Organization and Innovation at the Department of Economics, University of the Peloponnese. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Patras, an MSc in International and European Economic Studies from the Athens University of Economics and Business, and a BA in Economics from the University of Patras. He served as Assistant Professor at the University of the Peloponnese from July 2014 to October 2022. Prior to joining academia as a faculty member, he was a Research Fellow at the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE) (2012–2014), where he contributed to research projects on entrepreneurship, strategy, and innovation. During 2012–2013, he was also a Visiting Researcher at the Bank of Greece, conducting research on financial constraints and the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises. Earlier, he held teaching appointments at the University of the Peloponnese, the University of Central Greece, and the Technological Educational Institute of Patras.

His research lies at the intersection of innovation economics & management, entrepreneurship, digital capabilities, industry dynamics, firm performance, and business strategy. His work has been published in high-quality international journals, including Research Policy, Small Business Economics, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Technology Transfer, Journal of Small Business Management, Review of Industrial Organization, European Management Review, International Journal of the Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Economic Modelling, Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Bulletin of Economic Research, International Journal of the Economics of Business, International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal  among others. He serves as a referee for numerous international peer-reviewed journals in the fields of innovation, entrepreneurship, economics and management.

His teaching experience covers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in innovation economics and management, economics of business strategy, international trade, introductory economics, human resource management, business economics, public sector strategic planning, risk management, environmental economics, applied econometrics, and European regional integration.. He has supervised numerous Master's dissertations and two doctoral theses.

He has held several academic and administrative positions at the University of the Peloponnese, including Departmental Coordinator and Institutional Coordinator for Student Internships. He has also served as the School's representative on the Council of the Centre for Lifelong Learning (KEDIVIM). Since 2017–2018 (and continuously since 2020), he has been a member of the Hellenic Open University's adjunct teaching staff (SEP), teaching the module Entrepreneurship and Innovation Theory.

He has been a member of the Greek national team of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) since 2013 and is affiliated with the DRUID Academy, the European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy (EAEPE). He has also served as evaluator for the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI), the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation (GSRI), and innovation and entrepreneurship programmes.

His research interests focus on Economics of Innovation and Innovation Management; Digital Capabilities; Entrepreneurship and Business Strategy; Industry Dynamics and Firm Performance. 

1. Protogerou, A., Giotopoulos, I., Dimitropoulou, A., & Tsakanikas, A. (2026). “Mechanisms underlying product innovation in creative industries: Interplay of founders’ knowledge stocks and university-industry linkages”, Journal of Small Business Management, pp.1-34, https://doi.org/10.1080/00472778.2026.2698764 (3 ranking AJG, Impact Factor: 5.7).
2. Giotopoulos, I., Gkypali, A., & Tsakanikas, A. (2026). “The interplay between firm innovation, digital capabilities and HR skills and practices: The moderating role of GVC participation”, Journal of Business Research, Vol.207, 116031, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116031  (3 ranking AJG, Impact Factor: 11.1).
3. Giotopoulos, I., Kritikos, A. S., & Tsakanikas, A. (2023). “A lasting crisis affects R&D decisions of smaller firms: the Greek experience”, The Journal of Technology Transfer, Vol.48, pp.1161–1175, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-022-09957-7  (3 ranking AJG, Impact Factor: 5.4).
4. Dimitropoulou, A., Giotopoulos, I., Protogerou, A. & Tsakanikas, A. (2023). “Does the innovativeness of creative firms help their business clients to innovate?”, The Journal of Technology Transfer, Vol.48, pp.1-32, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-021-09901-1 (3 ranking AJG, Impact Factor: 5.4).
5. Giotopoulos, I., Kontolaimou, A., & Tsakanikas, A. (2022). “Digital responses of SMEs to the COVID-19 crisis”, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, Vol.28, No.7, pp.1751-1772, https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-11-2021-0924 (3 ranking AJG, Impact Factor: 4.7).
6. Giotopoulos, I., Konstantinou, V., Kontolaimou, A., & Tsakanikas, A. (2022). “Show me how to grow fast in turbulent times: Balancing human resource practices between employee training and educational attainment”, European Management Review, Vol.19, No.4, pp.581-597, https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.12505  (3 ranking AJG, Impact Factor: 3.1).
7. Caloghirou, Y, Giotopoulos, I., Kontolaimou, A., & Tsakanikas, A. (2022), “Inside the black box of high-growth firms in a crisis-hit economy: Corporate strategy, employee human capital and R&D capabilities”, International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Vol.18, pp.1319-1345, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-020-00674-x (1 ranking AJG, Impact Factor: 4.7).
8. Giotopoulos, I., Kontolaimou, A., Korra, E. and Tsakanikas, A. (2022), "Strategic pathways to ICT adoption in SMEs: Evidence from Greece", International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Vol.46, No.4, pp.466-482, https://doi.org/10.1504/IJESB.2022.124790 (2 ranking AJG, Impact Factor: 1.2).
9. Caloghirou, Y, Giotopoulos, I., Kontolaimou, A., Korra, E. and Tsakanikas, A. (2021), “Industry-university knowledge flows and product innovation: How do knowledge stocks and crisis matter?”, Research Policy, Vol.50, No.3, 104195, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2020.104195 (4* ranking AJG, Impact Factor: 8.9, FT-50).
10. Dimelis, S., Giotopoulos, I. and Louri, H. (2019), “Banking concentration and firm growth: The role of size, location and financial crisis”, Bulletin of Economic Research, Vol.71, No.3, pp.428-438, https://doi.org/10.1111/boer.12184  (2 ranking AJG, Impact Factor: 1.2).
11. Giotopoulos, I. and Vettas, N. (2018), “Economic crisis and export-oriented entrepreneurship: Evidence from Greece”, Managerial and Decision Economics, Vol.39, No.8, pp.872-878, https://doi.org/10.1002/mde.2976  (2 ranking AJG, Impact Factor: 2.7).
12. Caloghirou, Y, Giotopoulos, I., Korra, E. and Tsakanikas, A. (2018), “How do employee training and knowledge stocks affect product innovation?”, Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Vol.27, No.4, pp.343-360, https://doi.org/10.1080/10438599.2017.1362796 (2 ranking AJG, Impact Factor: 2.4).
13. Giotopoulos, I., Kontolaimou, A., Korra, E. and Tsakanikas, A. (2017), “What drives ICT adoption by SMEs? Evidence from a large-scale survey in Greece”, Journal of Business Research, Vol.81, pp.60-69, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.08.007  (3 ranking AJG, Impact Factor: 11.1).
14. Giotopoulos, I., Kontolaimou, A. and Tsakanikas, A. (2017), “Antecedents of growth-oriented entrepreneurship before and during the Greek economic crisis”, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol.24, No.3, pp.528-544, https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-01-2017-0003  (2 ranking AJG, Impact Factor: 3.6).
15. Dimelis, S., Giotopoulos, I. and Louri, H. (2017), “Can firms grow without credit? A quantile panel analysis in the euro area”, Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Vol.17, No.2, pp.153-183, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10842-016-0216-1  (2 ranking AJG, Impact Factor: 2.1).
16. Giotopoulos, I., Kontolaimou, A. and Tsakanikas, A. (2017), “Drivers of high-quality entrepreneurship: What changes did the crisis bring about?”, Small Business Economics, Vol.48, No.4, pp.913-930, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-016-9814-x (3 ranking AJG, Impact Factor: 5.9).
17. Kontolaimou, A, Giotopoulos, I., Balikou, E. (2017), “Access to finance and firm growth of Greek SMEs before and during the economic crisis”, Centre of Planning and Economic Research (KEPE), Greek Economic Outlook, Issue 33, pp. 71-79.
18. Dimelis, S., Giotopoulos, I. and Louri, H. (2016), “What determines the growth of micro firms in the euro area?”, Economics and Business Letters, Vol.5, No.4, pp.145-151. (1 ranking AJG).
19. Kontolaimou, A., Giotopoulos, I. and Tsakanikas, A. (2016), “A typology of European countries based on innovation efficiency and technology gaps: The role of early-stage entrepreneurship”, Economic Modelling, Vol.52, Part B, pp.477-484, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2015.09.028 (2 ranking AJG, Impact Factor: 5.5).
20. Vettas, N., Giotopoulos, I., Valavanioti, E., Danchev, S. (2016), “The determinants of new firms’ export performance”, Bank of Greece, Economic Bulletin, Issue 43, pp. 7-18.
21. Giotopoulos, I., Pavlou, G., Danchev, S. and Tsakanikas, A. (2015), “Public procurement reforms in Greece: The impact of improved transparency on government expenditures”, Journal of Public Procurement, Vol.15, No.4, pp.458-475, https://doi.org/10.1108/JOPP-15-04-2015-B003 (1 ranking AJG; Impact Factor: 2.3).
22. Giotopoulos, I. (2014), "Dynamics of firm profitability and growth: Do knowledge-intensive (business) services persistently outperform?”, International Journal of the Economics of Business, Vol.21, No.3, pp.291-319, https://doi.org/10.1080/13571516.2014.921364 (2 ranking AJG, Impact Factor: 0.7).
23. Giotopoulos, I. and Fotopoulos, G. (2010), “Intra-industry growth dynamics in the Greek services sector: Firm-level estimates for ICT-producing, ICT-using and non-ICT Industries”, Review of Industrial Organization, Vol.36, No.1, pp.59-74, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11151-010-9241-0 (2 ranking AJG, Impact Factor: 1.0).
24. Fotopoulos, G. and Giotopoulos, I. (2010), “Gibrat’s law and persistence of growth in Greek manufacturing”, Small Business Economics, Vol.35, No.1, pp.191-202, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-008-9163-5  (3 ranking AJG, Impact Factor: 5.9).