BMBF Project KiWI: Research findings as drivers of innovation

Research findings are considered drivers of economically significant innovation. But what role exactly does research play here? On 1 June 2022, a project was launched at the Chair of Organisation, Technology Management and Entrepreneurship to analyse this relationship.

"Researchers in Germany who facilitate transfer like to call themselves travellers between worlds. That needs to change. The lengthy travels have to become leisurely walks! We want to deliver sound insights into the key factors that make transfer successful, " says Professor Carolin Häussler who holds the Chair of Organisation, Technology Management and Entrepreneurship. 

The purpose of "KiWI" (an acronym for “Cartography of Knowledge Pathways between Research and Innovation” in German) is to find out when transfer is driven by institutions and when by individual persons or teams, what activities by specific players and what systemic factors encourage transfer, who takes up the knowledge and which sectors resort extensively to research results and to what type of research. "Researchers aren't the only ones who can provide relevant knowledge to research and development. The main question is: When and what kind of exchange with which social actors can deliver added value and important impulses?," explains Patrick Figge, assistant professor at the Chair held by Professor Häussler.

In a first step, a system of cartography to map out knowledge transfers will be developed that explores the knowledge flows between countries and the change in the significance of research for innovation. "Apparently, the transfer of research findings is taken much more for granted in other countries like the US and more easily and quickly implemented," says Professor Häussler. However, the potential in Germany is enormous as well. A second step will involve an analysis of the various transfer approaches and activities implemented by successful institutions or individual research teams and an exploration of their application in various sectors of the German transfer system. Furthermore, global best practices will be identified, which will then be examined to determine any commonalities with and differences to the German context.

The project is due to run for three years and has been awarded a grant worth approx. EUR 245,000 by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Principal Investigator(s) at the University	Prof. Dr. Carolin Häussler (Lehrstuhl für Betriebswirtschaftslehre mit Schwerpunkt Organisation, Technologiemanagement und Entrepreneurship)
Project period	01.06.2022 - 31.05.2025
Source of funding	BMBF - Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung > BMBF - Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung - Hochschulrektorenkonferenz HRK
Projektnummer	16WIT003