"In der Innovationsfalle" - are there ways for a sustainable innovation funding?

2017-11-06

The insider and author Prof. Dr. Malte Behrmann (bbw University of Applied Sciences) discussed the topic with the State Secretary Dorothee Bär (CSU).

On Monday, 6th November 2017, our professor (for Entrepreneurship and Business Communication) Dr. Malte Behrmann, insider and author of his recently published specialized book "In der Innovationsfalle", and the guest of the evening, the Parliamentary State Secretary Dorothee Bär from the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, provided in a joint panel discussion facts and explanations, considerations and responses to the question, whether Germany's research, ideas and most entrepreneurs really stuck into an innovative trap. Prof. Behrmann thinks yes. They are not recognised, misvalued, incompletely and inefficiently funded, some even blockade each other. Therefore, his lecture and panel discussion eventually involved the question about how all this is possible in the light of an overall good economic situation, increasing digitalisation, and an at least very vivid start-up scene, like e.g. in Berlin? What has to be done, asks moderator Heide Traemann, the chancellor of bbw University of Applied Sciences, to optimise the funding structures and to design innovation funding in a way that makes economy sustainable?

To some extent, large companies are promoted in excess, "since the personnel capacities are insufficient for the sponsors to administrate the necessary promotion of many small companies at all. On the other hand, large companies are not sufficiently monitored and do not have to provide enough evidence what they are doing with the funding", says Prof. Behrmann. But the State Secretary does "not agree at all". At least, she sees her authorities on a quite good way. In her view, the issue is that small companies and unexperienced entrepreneurs have difficulties to receive funds, since they do not possess own departments like large companies that are able to deal with tenders and processing. Therefore, it needs more effort on the sponsor's side, so that the right companies and ideas with potency for income get a chance - e.g. for needed starting capital. "We may not leave start-up funding to "Höhle der Löwen" (lion's den - German TV show), says Dorothee Bär. Since both conversation partners know each other since the time when Malte Behrmann worked as a lobbyist of the Federal association of the Game Development in Bavaria, of course other issues were discussed, just like digital infrastructure, net neutrality and even questions on fields of innovation culture.

All in all, Prof. Dr. Behrmann and the State Secretary discussed half an hour intensively about their visions, inserted figures, experiences and expectations, and considered possibilities and limitations of certain procedures. Thereby, the moderator tried to involve a high number of all subject areas, so that, in addition to the read text passages from the book, enough questions were left open that shall encourage the audiences to read the book themselves. The book "In der Innovationsfalle" can be ordered via Amazon.

Prof. Dr. Malte Behrmann is an attorney and advisor in Berlin - since 2013 he is professor for Media Law, International Management, Entrepreneurship and Business Communication at bbw University of Applied Sciences. He is one of the initiators of the first nationwide master programme for Management of Creative Industries. He was director politics of GAME Federal association from 2003 until 2010, and secretary general of the European Games Developer Federation. He is the author of different publications, among them the above-mentioned specialised book that was published in October 2017 at ibidem publisher.

behrmann_buchvorstellung1.jpg (jpeg - 0,26 MB)

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