IfM Bonn News

Although half of all working people in Germany are women, the proportion of self-employed women has stagnated at just over a third for years.

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At the end of 2025, turnover and profits of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have increased. By contrast, investment activity, which had increased over the course of 2025, showed a slight decline towards the year-end.

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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) often use informal implementation strategies to comply with legal requirements. According to Professor Christian Hauser (University of Applied Sciences of the Graubünden), this should also be taken into account in scientific studies.

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How can commercial building permit procedures be simplified and accelerated? Michael Holz gave answers to this question from a scientific perspective at the end of February during an exchange of experiences at the Siegen Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

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Having a self-employed partner is associated with a higher frequency of disagreements and quarrels in relationships. The reason: Self-employed individuals do not only make professional decisions, but also interfere in their partners' private decisions.

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Digital transformation is advancing in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Germany: More than a third of SMEs had a "high" to "very high" level of digital intensity in 2025.

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The Expert Commission for Research and Innovation (EFI), including IfM President Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Friederike Welter, today presented its new annual report to Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

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The DG GROW Fellowship Year 2026 started with a kick-off meeting at the beginning of February.

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How can innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises be effectively supported? How can the digital transformation be brought to the attention of particularly small businesses?

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How should university spin-offs interact with key players in their region in order to gain access to important resources and knowledge? How can they generate business growth at the same time? Dr Julia Mokhtar and Assoc. Prof. Dr Mirjam Knockaert examined these questions during a workshop held by the …

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There is broad consensus among family businesses in Germany that an ecological transition is necessary. But from the perspective of the Mittelstand, the key question at present is how companies can achieve a climate-friendly transformation while at the same time remaining competitive.

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

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Germany has around 3.6 million self-employed people. A third of them are women, and a quarter of all self-employed people have a migrant background.

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If entrepreneurs can draw on individual social capital and functioning networks and if they are also mentally and emotionally stabile, it is generally easier for them to survive sudden disruptions and crises.

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