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IfM Bonn News

External publications The popular myth of "Silicon Valley"?!

The Silicon Valley business district was for a long time considered as a model economic region. Many governments have tried to copy it.

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Participation in external events More respect for everyday entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship exists in many different forms. Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Friederike Welter therefore believes that entrepreneurship researchers should broaden their horizons and look beyond conventional standard models.

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Participation in external events Even slow-growing companies can be very successful

In the opinion of Professor Friederike Welter, the European Commission's funding initiatives should not only target fast-growing companies but should also focus on innovative medium-sized companies in general.

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Participation in external events SME barriers in the public procurement process

What developments are currently being observed in below-threshold procurement law? Dr Sebastian Schneider discussed this question in mid-September at the Forum Vergabe Gespräche 2025 in Fulda together with representatives from politics, science and industry.

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IfM Publications Insolvency increase has slowed down

Although the number of corporate insolvencies filed rose to 12,000 in the first half of 2025, the increase was less significant than compared to the first six months of 2024 and 2023.

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Participation in external events What pregnancy and parental leave mean for self-employed women

Pregnancy and early motherhood have a significant impact on women's self-employment, according to research by the IfM Bonn.

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IfM Publications The psychological costs of bureaucratic burdens

The bureaucratic burden on companies is usually measured based on the time and money spent on complying with regulatory requirements.

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External publications What harms sons' entrepreneurial self-perception

Parents doing things for their children that they could do themselves harm their sons' self-perception of their entrepreneurial competencies. Especially self-employed fathers interfere in their son’s affairs and harm the development of their son’s entrepreneurial skills.

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Participation in external events The use of artificial intelligence in SMEs

How are Mittelstand enterprises already using artificial intelligence (AI) to cover their skilled labour needs?

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Press release The Economic Significance of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises remains high despite crises

Despite numerous geopolitical challenges, Small and Medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) generated €2.8 trillion in 2023, according to the most recent data available. This was 28% of Germany’s total turnover.

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Participation in external events How corporate finance shapes SME resilience to shocks

Dr Vinzenz Peters and Flavio de Carolis have found evidence of a relationship between the leverage and debt maturity and the economic resilience of small and medium-sized enterprises that have been affected by floods.

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Participation in external events In the focus: Minimum apprenticeship minimum wage

How does the introduction of the minimum apprenticeship wage affect training offers and take-ups? Dr Annika Reiff answered this question in her presentation at the beginning of September as co-author of the paper "Does more money help?

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Participation in external events How public procurement can become more attractive for SMEs

Besides the monetary costs, incomprehensible requirements, repetitive documentation and inefficient processes make small and medium-sized construction companies less and less willing to participate in public tenders.

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Press release Freelancers most often start their businesses in Berlin

In 2024, most people started their own freelance businesses in Berlin, followed by Hamburg, Munich and Cologne.

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Press release NUI Regional Ranking: The city of Leverkusen remains at the top

The number of new entrepreneurial initiatives is back above pre-pandemic levels in all of Germany

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