For Academia
& Research
Research-driven insights driving innovation.
introduction
Academic Collaborations
As a startup and co-innovation hub in Heilbronn our vision is to become the first choice for founders wanting to create an impactful future.
We strive to offer a holistic entrepreneurial support system that fosters innovation and empowers the next generation of innovators, while leveraging research on key aspects of entrepreneurial activity. Our focus is on supporting initiatives at the intersection of research and practice that ultimately drive innovation, collaboration, and the growth of new ventures.
Current Projects
Science of Startups -Understanding Incubator & Ecosystem Success
The aim of this research project is to develop a clear understanding of factors that promote the success of startups. This knowledge will serve to develop accelerator programs and shape the broader ecosystem based on measurable and predictable criteria — ultimately with the goal of fostering the consistent creation of successful companies.
The project is implemented in cooperation with Campus Founders and is funded by the Dieter Schwarz Stiftung.
Entrepreneurship Research Lab
The Entrepreneurship Research Lab (ERLab) aims to analyze entrepreneurial ecosystems as the basis of entrepreneurship. We have three doctoral researchers that are supervised by the chairs at the European University of Viadrina. As a practice partner, Campus Founders supports empirical research and in co-developing research transfer formats.
The ERLab is funded by Campus Founders and is supported by the Dieter Schwarz Stiftung.
Transfer Concept
We support research on entrepreneurial activities in the capacity of a non-profit practice partner. As a practice partner, we are interested in the effective transfer of research findings where transfer is understood as the application of knowledge produced through basic research. This means research findings and insights are converted into actionable formats that can be potentially implemented or tested. The test results are evaluated and fed back into research. Thereby, establishing a dynamic link between research and practice. Such cooperation projects are also expected to provide an impetus for pursuing new scientific questions in entrepreneurship research.
Outcomes
Interactive research workshop grounded in empirical evidence from two years of ethnographic research with Campus Founders supported startups.
The co-creativity model was put into action to explore how structured collaboration among founders can stimulate innovation. Findings from the workshop demonstrated that intentionally designed interactions between founders not only enhance knowledge exchange but also trigger collaborative innovation. Participants engaged in hands-on activities that translated theoretical insights into practical strategies for fostering co-creation and collective problem-solving within entrepreneurial teams.
Research on Creativity & Entrepreneurship
Drivers of startup success
The research workshop disseminated latest insights drawn from a comprehensive survey of hundreds of founders across Europe. At a systemic level, the session uncovered the interplay between incubator interventions, founder personality and early-stage success metrics.
The workshop also featured key insights from the foundational research on how founder personalities impact startup success, with discussion on applying personality-based team building to create more resilient startup founder teams.
Science of Startups Research