Press releases

Press release | 30.08.2023 Negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on SME financing were successfully absorbed

According to research by IfM Bonn, economic development in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) initially had a significant impact on access to external capital during the COVID-19 pandemic: In the initial phase of the crisis, access to finance became abruptly more difficult for some of the …

Press release | 09.08.2023 Digitalisation momentum slows down

More than one in three small and medium-sized enterprises (37%) in Germany rate their level of digitalisation as "very high" or "high". The share is higher than in the EU, where only 31% state such levels. In contrast, large companies in Germany are at a similar level of digitalisation compared to …

Press release | 08.08.2023 Every 2nd enterprise in North Rhine-Westphalia has experienced impacts of climate change within the past 5 years

Enterprises in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) have experienced climate change impacts considerably more often within the past five years than enterprises in the other federal states. According to a survey of the Institut für Mittelstandsforschung (IfM) Bonn, extreme weather, heat or flood and low …

Press release | 10.07.2023 NUI 2022: District of Munich tops list for the fifth time in a row

Since 2018, the district of Munich has been at the top of those districts and independent cities in which new businesses are most frequently founded or to which commercial enterprises are relocated. The cities of Leverkusen and Rosenheim follow in second and third place, with the district of …

Press release | 05.07.2023 More harmonisation of national posting regulations strengthens the EU internal market

Within the framework of the EU for the freedom to provide services, companies can temporarily post their employees in other EU member states. However, the posting companies must fulfil different bureaucratic requirements and use reporting portals for each EU country.

Press release | 04.07.2023 Biggest challenges for Mittelstand companies: Securing skilled workers – and company competitiveness

Skilled worker shortage is becoming a more significant challenge for entrepreneurs. Mittelstand companies named demographic development with all its consequences as the current TOP challenge per the Future Panel of the Mittelstand survey for the third time in a row.

Press release | 22.06.2023 Professor Friederike Welter receives an honorary doctorate from the University of Glasglow

The University of Glasgow Senate awarded Professor Friederike Welter an honorary doctorate for her research on the entrepreneurial Mittelstand and "Everyday Entrepreneurship".

Press release | 19.06.2023 The GmbH-gebV legal form does not facilitate company succession searches

According to estimates by the Institut für Mittelstandsforschung (IfM) Bonn for 2022 to 2026, an average of 38,000 company transfers in Germany per year are currently pending. Owners primarily try to implement an internal family succession plan – but family members are not always willing to take …

Press release | 25.05.2023 Over 13,000 micro-enterprises were insolvent in 2022

Slightly more companies filed for insolvency in 2022 than in the previous year (+4.3%). The increase was much more substantial for companies with 11 to 100 employees (+26.1 %). Most of all insolvency applications in 2022 once again came from micro-enterprises (up to 10 employees).

Press release | 11.05.2023 Young bosses in their own companies

Underaged founders are between 15 and 17 years old, predominantly male and have above-average academic performance. They often pursue a business idea with digital connections in IT services or online trade.

Press release | 17.04.2023 Limited resources, bureaucracy and a shortage of skilled labour limit SMEs' ecological efforts

More than three out of four small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) expect their businesses to be affected by climate change's consequences, including extreme weather events and the transition to a more sustainable economy. Among large enterprises, almost 90 % share this view. More than 1,300 …

Press release | 17.04.2023 Responsible ownership does not facilitate the search for successors

"Introducing the legal form "GmbH-gebV" in Germany, comparable with the English LLC but with ‘tied assets‘, does not lead to longer-lasting companies – as the legal form initiators claimed. On the contrary: The legal form would complicate finding a successor since prospective buyers would have to …

Press release | 30.03.2023 65 years at the service of the Mittelstand – 65 years IfM Bonn

What are the challenges now and in the future for the Mittelstand? When are political support measures for the Mittelstand meaningful and important – even if a regulatory approach is to be favoured in general like in the spirit of Ludwig Erhard?

Press release | 28.03.2023 Start-ups in the liberal professions are attractive

In 2022, start-up activity increased in the liberal professions by 5% compared with the previous year. In contrast, start-up activities in the commercial sector stagnated (-0.3 %), especially among farmers and foresters - they even decreased (-6.5 %).

Press release | 22.03.2023 Fit for change?!

"Mittelstand companies are facing various challenges. Simultaneously, they are already actively shaping the transformation to a digital and sustainable economy through their ideas, innovations, and commitment. Therefore, it is Mittelstand policy's job to support them on this path,"