About us

The Institute for Entrepreneurship, German Mittelstand and Family Firms (in German: Institut für Entrepreneurship, Mittelstand und Familienunternehmen) is an interdisciplinary research group at the Berlin School of Economics and Law (BSEL).

It was founded in autumn 2008 by Prof. Dr. Birgit Felden and five other professors from different fields at BSEL. The Institute employs both full time scientific researchers and a large student staff.
The EMF-Institute focuses on different research projects from economic, historic, legal and sociological perspectives, always aiming to close gaps in current research. As the research is largely publicly funded, one of the main goals is to make the research results as publicly accessible as possible. Further to this, the Institute has a large network of nation-wide SMEs which due to the location focus on the Berlin metropolitan area. The EMF-Institute raises new research questions and transports these research findings to entrepreneurs, public institutions, other researchers, and students. The strong ties with the bachelor program „Business Creation and Business Succession” (unique in this form in Germany) and the MBA „General Management/Entrepreneurship“ ensure that research results are directly embedded in the actual teaching programs.

Research focus

Entrepreneurship/innovative businesses
Changes in customer value, innovative organizational concepts through new business models, changing industries.

German Mittelstand and SMEs
strategic (marketing-) management in SMEs, management models, strategies of hidden champions, entrepreneurship, and gender.

Family Firms
Success factors and management structures, systemic models, history of family firms in the 19th and 20th century.

Business Succession
Business valuation, change of management and ownership, innovative tools.

Contact

If you would like to get in touch please contact us via e-mail: office@emf-institut.org

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