SME masterplan

Since the beginning of 2023, ifm researchers have been working together with colleagues from ZEW Mannheim and IAW Tübingen to develop a master plan for economic policy support for SMEs in Baden-Württemberg on behalf of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor and Tourism.

To this end, the current strengths and weaknesses of SMEs in Baden-Württemberg are being analyzed and important challenges that SMEs are currently facing and will face in the coming years are being identified. On this basis, a vision is formulated as to where Baden-Württemberg's SMEs should develop in the medium term. In addition, strategies and recommendations for action are derived as to how economic policy can achieve this vision. A central aspect of the project is the comprehensive participation of relevant stakeholders as part of a state-wide dialog process, which includes surveys and regional workshops.

As part of this project, ifm is conducting exploratory in-depth interviews with entrepreneurs in Baden-Württemberg and other stakeholders in SME policy from academia, associations and politics. In addition, we are conducting surveys among companies and local authorities in Baden-Württemberg to gather information on the most important trends in economic transformation in order to identify the key levers of SME policy.

In addition, ifm is also responsible for the organization and implementation of the regional workshops in the four administrative districts of Baden-Württemberg, where the scientific findings are discussed and classified with key experts from politics, science and administration.