ZEW Hosts Expert Group on "Innovation and Knowledge Management"

On April 20, 2016, the expert group on "Innovation and Knowledge Management" from the Heinz-Piest-Institut für Handwerkstechnik at the University of Hannover (HPI) made a visit to the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim. As part of a conference held by the expert group in cooperation with the Mannheim Chamber of Crafts and Trades (Handwerkskammer Mannheim Rhein-Neckar-Odenwald), the members of the group were keen to find out more about the research carried out at ZEW.

ZEW Director of Business and Administration, Thomas Kohl, welcomed the group and provided an overview of the work carried out by the research institute. Jürgen Egeln, deputy head of the Research Department "Industrial Economics and International Management", then presented results from current ZEW research into small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), focussing in particular on the effectiveness of efforts of the KfW banking group to promote the establishment of new businesses, and on measures to increase innovation amongst SMEs. Dr Niclas Rüffer, a researcher at the Institute for SME Research (IfM) at the University of Mannheim, then gave a presentation on research which the IfM has been carrying out into medium-sized and family businesses in Germany. The visiting group was then able to discuss topics further with the experts.