The cross-sectional evaluation of support measures for innovative start-ups analyses the impacts, synergies and complementarities among a series of programmes offered by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWi) and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). These programmes target innovative and research-based start-ups and aim to initiate such start-ups (particularly by researchers from universities and public-sector research institutes) and help them to successfully enter the market. The evaluation focuses on three types of support measures:

• Pre-seed and early seed measures, including awareness and information measures for potential entrepreneurs and measures to support the preparation of start-up projects;
• Seed measures that directly support innovative, research-based start-ups, including technology and non-technology support;
• Framework measures at universities and public-sector research institutes that aim at improving the infrastructure for innovative start-ups and for commercialising research results.

The evaluation aims at

• assessing the relevance of the existing support programmes;
• analysing the extent to which the programmes' goals have been achieved;
• identifying areas for further improvement.

ZEW's contribution to the evaluation focuses on preparing, generating and analysing quantitative data, including a comprehensive survey of persons and firms that have received support through any of the programmes considered in this evaluation as well as a survey of a control group of start-ups from universities and public-sector research institutes that did not make use of any of theses support measures. ZEW is also responsible for carrying out an impact analysis based on econometric evaluation methods such as difference-in-difference estimations and matching analyses.