IfM Bonn News

Participation in external events | 22.06.2026 Intensive research exchange

During this year’s “Oxford Residence Week for Entrepreneurship Scholars”, held in mid-June in Varese, Italy, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Friederike Welter and Dr Vinzenz Peters discussed again their latest research findings with other international entrepreneurship researchers: In her presentation, the IfM …

Podcasts | 18.06.2026 Podcast "The Mittelstand Enterprises and China"

The Chinese government has repeatedly used restrictions on access to raw materials and intermediate goods as a weapon of political pressure in the recent past and has limited their export. But many Mittelstand enterprises continue to use deliveries from China.

Participation in external events | 17.06.2026 Boosting business succession

How many business owners will transfer their businesses to a successor between 2026 and 2030? What impact will demographic change have?

Podcasts | 16.06.2026 New podcast series "Mittelstand Research Meets Practice"

In the first episode of the new podcast series "Mittelstand Research Meets Practice", Prof. Dr Andreas Pinkwart talks about how he has used research findings to develop legislation during his time in political office. He also explain how entrepreneurial innovation in Germany can once again help the …

Participation in external events | 15.06.2026 Public policy discussion on maternity protection for the self-employed

Dr Vinzenz Peters and Christine Schmelting took part as experts in the public discussion on "Maternity protection for the self-employed" organised by the Bündnis 90/Die Grünen parliamentary group in the Saxon State Parliament at the end of May.

Participation in external events | 15.06.2026 IfM Bonn at the Open University Day

Are the terms ‘Mittelstand’ and ‘family business’ synonymous? Above what number of employees do companies belong to the Mittelstand?

External publications | 12.06.2026 Succession in the Context of Demographic Change

How does demographic change affect succession planning? Can external successors or a management buy-out compensate for a lack of willingness to take over within the family business?

IfM Publications | 10.06.2026 Regions with high start-up rates also have high closure rates

Business closures are not equally distributed across regions: the highest closure rates for the years 2017 to 2019 are found in urban regions such as Berlin, at 13.2%.

Press release | 09.06.2026 Ensuring innovation and competitiveness remains the biggest Challenge

From the perspective of trade associations, academia and economic policymakers, the biggest challenge for the Mittelstand enterprises remains ensuring innovation and competitiveness. This is the key finding of a survey conducted by experts at the IfM Bonn between late February and late March 2026.

IfM Publications | 28.05.2026 Crisis as a driver of innovation

Companies that are affected by a macroeconomic crisis are not only more innovative, their innovations also contribute significantly to the improvement of the company's economic situation.

IfM Publications | 27.05.2026 The security and defence sector gains importance among the Mittelstand enterprises

Approximately 15,000 industrial companies are already active in the security and defence sector, according to the latest survey by IfM Bonn: four out of ten companies are considering this for the future.

External publications | 22.05.2026 Successful approaches to reducing bureaucracy

Bureaucracy is fundamentally important. It ensures that highly complex economies can function effectively. It also provides businesses with legal certainty and planning security.

Guests at the IfM | 20.05.2026 It's no longer a taboo: Selling instead of family succession

In contrast to the past, it is no longer considered a taboo if family members have no interest in taking over the family business. The sale of the family business is instead regarded as an important business decision,” reported Prof. Dr Isabell Stamm.

Press release | 13.05.2026 Economic situation for SMEs deteriorates again after slight recovery at the end of 2025

After both turnover and profits among small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany had shown a slight improvement towards the end of 2025, the economic situation in both Germany and the euro area deteriorated again in the first quarter of 2026.

Participation in external events | 13.05.2026 How Mittelstand enterprises are coping with current challenges

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Friederike Welter talked about the challenges and opportunities facing Mittelstand enterprises at the German Metal Industry Association’s annual conference in Berlin in early May.

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