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Information on Mittelstand enterprises

  • practice-oriented
  • interdisciplinary
  • applied research

 

Geopolitical challenges

For many decades, the multilateral dismantling of trade barriers and broad trade policy stability contributed ...

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SME Development Barometer

IfM Bonn uses the "Survey on the Access to Finance of Enterprises", to report semiannually on the current ...

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IfM Bonn News

Innovativeness through vocational and academic qualifications

Innovations play a key role for companies. In his policy brief "Vocational Qualifications in the Context of Innovation: Does Firm Size Matter?", Dr Jörg Thomä (ifh Göttingen) explains why vocational training not only helps to secure skilled workers, but also strengthens the innovative power of …

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The Influence of the family

Which role do family members play in supporting female entrepreneurs? How do cultural factors affect their businesses?

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IfM-Position Paper

The impact of the provisional US-EU trade agreement on Mittelstand enterprises

On 27 July 2025, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump settled on a preliminary trade agreement. Of particular relevance to Mittelstand enterprises is that US import tariffs on most goods will only rise to 15% instead of the 30% previously anounced.

In other areas, such as the pharmaceutical industry, the level of customs duties remains unclear, while tariffs of 50% will continue to be levied on steel and aluminium imports into the US.

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Figure of the Month

About

37,200

business successions will be due each year by 2030, according to estimates of IfM Bonn.

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Policy Brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus"

Vocational Qualifications in the Context of Innovation

Vocational education and training (VET) is more than securing the supply of skilled labour – it also strengthens firms’ innovative capacity.

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Cooperation with University of Siegen

Zukunftspanel Mittelstand

Zukunftspanel Mittelstand

NUI region ranking

Offensive Mittelstand

Data of the IfM Bonn

Data of the IfM Bonn

Third party research