
Director of the Institute
Fraunhofer-Institut für Arbeitswirtschaft
und Organisation (IAO)
und IAT Universität Stuttgart

Consultant, project centre
Munich head office
T: 089 - 520 309 62
F: 089 - 520 30 9 9
winter@acatech.de
Project status: | Current | |
Project period: | 11/2007 to 11/2009 | |
Project type: |
Description
The spin-off of companies from public research institutes is an important contribution to the transfer of knowledge and technology. Spin-offs carry knowledge, methods and specific technologies from the scientific arena to industry and commercially apply research results. Up to now, there is no comprehensive data on how academic high-tech spin-offs develop in terms of turnover, profitability, employees and the R&D budget.
Therefore, this project investigates which enterprises are able to develop dynamically in terms of these parameters, and why others stagnate after a successful starting phase. The study is restricted to technology-based spin-offs of non-university research institutes. These include spin-offs of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft and the Leibniz-Gemeinschaft.
The basic assumption is that management by the incubator organisation has a major impact on the economic development of a spin-off. A comparison of various high-tech spin-offs from different business and scientific environments will make it possible to draw conclusions on how to overcome problems in the spin-off process. In addition, the major success factors relating to the structuring of a company will be identified.
The methodological approach includes literature studies, standardised questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and expert workshops. Overall, the project aim is to help improve the spin-off process of German research institutes.
Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering (IAO) Lehrstuhl für Grünungs- und Innovationsmanagement an der Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel