Corona stimulates the propensity to found new businesses in academia
In spring 2020, the first wave of Covid 19 pandemic did not show negative influence on the willingness of academics at German universities to set up their own businesses. On the contrary, it even served as a driver for start-ups.
One of three academics interested in setting up their own business discovered new commercial opportunities during the pandemic. Only one out of six academics stated, that they plan to postpone their start-up project due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"Many scientists still see a business foundation as an opportunity to realize personal goals. Scientists, who do not commercialize their inventions, usually do not have the time or financial means" reports Dr. Teita Bijedić, researcher at the IfM Bonn.
Scientists and researchers who are already self-employed had to accept a decline in demand, but still did not feel threatened by the Covid 19 pandemic. Instead, the crisis triggered a digitalization push: some of the founders plan to digitalize their businesses more intensively in the future.
The chartbook "The sucess of Business Foundations of Scientists in the Corona Pandemic" is available on the homepage of the Institut für Mittelstandsforschung (www.ifm-bonn.org).
Weitere Informationen:
https://www.ifm-bonn.org/fileadmin/data/redaktion/publikationen/chartbooks/Chartbook_Gruendungserfolg_Hochschule_171120.pdf