IfM Bonn News

Participation in external events | 13.11.2025 Business performance influences succession decisions

Entrepreneurs prefer to pass on their life's work within the family. Dr André Pahnke, Dr Rosemarie Kay and Dr Susanne Schlepphorst have examined in a study whether and, if so, how the performance of the company influences the owner's decision on succession.

Participation in external events | 12.11.2025 IfM President gave Schumpeter Lecture at the SME Assembly 2025

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Friederike Welter made a plea for "everyday entrepreneurship" at the SME Assembly 2025 in Copenhagen in mid-November as part of the Schumpeter Lecture "Innovation in Enterprise"

IfM Publications | 10.11.2025 Strengthening regional resilience through local entrepreneurship

Investments in infrastructure and insurance help to mitigate the negative consequences of extreme weather events.

Participation in external events | 10.11.2025 IfM President presented current research findings

What are currently the biggest challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises? How do the US tariffs affect companies?

IfM Publications | 06.11.2025 IfM video "Bureaucratic burden in plant and mechanical engineering"

How do companies in the mechanical and plant engineering sector see the current bureaucratic burden? How do they respond to it? Answers to these questions can be found in the latest IfM video.

Participation in external events | 06.11.2025 The Mittelstand in North Rhine-Westphalia

"Small and medium-sized enterprises remain the backbone of North Rhine-Westphalia's economy", reported Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Friederike Welter in her keynote speech at the North Rhine-Westphalia SME Advisory Council in early November.

Participation in external events | 06.11.2025 What influences the entrepreneurial competence of sons

Does the self-perception of sons' entrepreneurial skills suffer when parents do things for their children that they could do themselves? According to research by Dr. Stefan Schneck, this is the case.

Press release | 04.11.2025 What the German Mittelstand Needs Now

The IfM is the academic research centre for the Mittelstand. It arose from a letter exchange between Ludwig Erhard and Konrad Adenauer. These roots show that SMEs are more than just an economic factor.

Press release | 30.10.2025 SMEs benefit from their flexibility in times of geopolitical uncertainty

The geopolitical situation and increasingly fragile trade relations are currently posing particular challenges for export-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises. At the same time, the expanding defence sector also offers opportunities for companies that are prepared to change their business …

External publications | 14.10.2025 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.

Participation in external events | 06.10.2025 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.

Participation in external events | 30.09.2025 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.

Participation in external events | 26.09.2025 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.

IfM Publications | 23.09.2025 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.

Participation in external events | 22.09.2025 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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