Scientists prefer to found companies as part-time entrepreneurs
Start-ups by researchers are significantly more stable than start-ups in general
Infrastructure at the university promoting start-ups and contacts in the business community has a positive effect on the start-up success of scientists. This is the result of a study by the IfM Bonn, which examined the start-up behaviour of academics at German universities over a period of seven years.
Symbolic image
pixabay.com
The study showed that every third person interested in founding a company in 2013 realised it in 2020. "The newly founded companies are innovative. However, 80% of the founders carry out their self-employment as a secondary occupation - and not all of them intend to run it as a full-time business later," reports IfM researcher Dr Teita Bijedić. Together with her colleagues, she has surveyed around 7,300 academics at German universities about their start-up activities in recent years.
The respondents reported a lack of commercial knowledge and a lack of market knowledge as the biggest obstacles to start a business. Especially those interested in founding a company in the so-called STEM areas (mathematics, computer science, natural science, technology) reported these obstacles commonly.
Those who finally found a company did not regret this decision: around nine in ten respondents stated that they would repeat the step into self-employment. In 2020, two-thirds of the start-ups from 2013 were still active on the market - the general survival rate of start-ups is 37% after five years, according to calculations by the IfM Bonn.
In addition, life satisfaction is also significantly higher among the self-employed than among scientists who are not self-employed. However, satisfaction with income was higher among the group of scientists who did not run a business.
Other news from the department business & finance
Get the life science industry in your inbox
From now on, don't miss a thing: Our newsletter for biotechnology, pharma and life sciences brings you up to date every Tuesday and Thursday. The latest industry news, product highlights and innovations - compact and easy to understand in your inbox. Researched by us so you don't have to.
Most read news
More news from our other portals
Something is happening in the life science industry ...
This is what true pioneering spirit looks like: Plenty of innovative start-ups are bringing fresh ideas, lifeblood and entrepreneurial spirit to change tomorrow's world for the better. Immerse yourself in the world of these young companies and take the opportunity to get in touch with the founders.
