Research Profile

The Chair of Technology and Innovation Management at the University of Wuppertal focuses its research on questions of innovation management and entrepreneurship. Thus, we are closely aligned with the programmatic focus of our faculty, the Schumpeter School of Business and Economics, on the topics of "innovation and entrepreneurship".

The theoretical foundations of our research are provided by the institutional economic theory of the firm, the resource-based approach to management, and the theory of dynamic capabilities of firms. We are not only concerned with basic research, but always with the creation of a concrete application reference, i.e. the derivation of recommendations for practical action.

The objects of our research are primarily small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and family businesses. A special research focus is on newly founded companies. Important research topics are the organization of innovation management, knowledge management in innovative companies, knowledge transfer between universities and companies as well as governmental support of innovations in SMEs and in newly founded companies.

Our methodological research approach is theory-driven, empirical research. This includes confirmatory-quantitative studies as well as explorative-qualitative research in the form of case studies.