The focus of the research project INTERDIG was on the internationalisation of the IT-related services sector, especially of IT service providers and software firms in Germany. The aim was to develop concrete recommended actions for the firms in order to strengthen their competitiveness and expand their international presence on the basis of well-founded research. Furthermore, the project results were transferred to service providers, relevant governmental institutions, and science by using adequate channels of knowledge transfer.

The project team consisting of analysts from Berlecon Research, the University of Mannheim as well as the research institutes RWI Essen and ZEW Mannheim combined best practice oriented research with scientific methods, and the business perspective was complemented by an economic view. INTERDIG was supported by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research within the scope of the initiative Export Ability and Internationalisation of Services.

The ZEW implemented a special questionnaire about internationalisation strategies within its quarterly business survey in the German IT-related services sector. First, a descriptive analysis of the data was made. Essential aspects were foreign activities of the IT-related services firms, the support of services exports by ICT, as well as chances and barriers for internationalisation. An econometric analysis furthermore considered the interrelation between ICT intensity, internationalisation and firm performance.

Additional information: http://interdig.berlecon.de