Heike Mayer is Professor of Economic Geography in the Institute of Geography at the University of Bern in Switzerland. She is also a member of the University of Bern`s Center for Regional Economic Development (CRED). As a member of the University of Bern executive board, she holds the function of Vice-Rector Quality and Sustainable Development since August 2023. In this role, she is responsible for the University of Bern`s strategies and initiatives related to quality, equal opporutunities and sustainable development. Her research is in urban and regional economic development with a particular focus on dynamics of innovation and entrepreneurship, urban and regional economic development policy, and economic sustainability.