Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Society
Digital technologies are fundamentally changing our economy and society. They are upending many traditional ways of doing business and at the same time opening up new economic and societal opportunities. Researchers in our group conceptualise and theorise these transformations while also delivering practical and applied knowledge in innovative formats for practitioners and policy makers.
The HIIG Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Society Group (IES) embraces these diverse developments. Our aim is to understand, inform and co-create innovation and entrepreneurship in a rapidly changing, globally interconnected digital economy and society.
IES was founded based on three years of action research within HIIG’s Startup Clinics, followed by several sector-specific research projects on topics such as digital transformation, artificial intelligence, digital platforms and the future of work. Our current work builds on this legacy, focusing on four research areas, through which we investigate the mechanisms and enablers of digital innovation and entrepreneurship at different analytical levels:
 | Digital Technologies & Value CreationHow do organisations create economic and social value using digital technologies and artificial intelligence? How can innovative formats and methods be used to transfer knowledge successfully between research and business? |
 | Collaboration & OpennessWhat opportunities and challenges are arising from open source and open innovation? How can startups effectively collaborate with communities and established companies? |
 | Platforms & EcosystemsHow are new paradigms of the digital economy, such as platform capitalism and the sharing economy, impacting traditional economic actors, structures and business models? What are the risks, opportunities, and alternatives? |
 | Digital Social Innovation & EntrepreneurshipHow does digitisation influence social innovation and social entrepreneurship? How do organisations tackle grand societal challenges – especially in times of crisis? |
Research approach
In line with HIIG’s mission, we aim to pioneer interdisciplinary research and promote unconventional approaches in the area of innovation, entrepreneurship and society. We conduct theoretically grounded research and seek to co-create societal and economic value together with businesses, policymakers and the public. To achieve this, we develop novel research approaches and use new technologies and methodologies. Our work is participatory and collaborative, ensuring that joint learning and knowledge transfer happen continuously and consistently. This approach helps us keep up with the novelty, complexity and dynamism of the digital economy.
For more information, read our brochure.
Further research programmes
Entrepreneurship and innovationDigital Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship
In the “Digital Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship” research project, we investigate entrepreneurial organisations that primarily focus on society – often called social enterprises. We...
Entrepreneurship and innovationData Cooperation Platforms for SMEs
Large digital platforms from the USA and China have dominated digital markets across industries and countries. They quickly became the most valuable companies in...
Entrepreneurship and innovation · Media and dataPlatform Alternatives
How can Europe’s digital platform economy be governed to achieve fairer results for all stakeholders? The Platform Alternatives project analyses the structural effects of...
Entrepreneurship and innovation · Society and cultureArtificial Intelligence & Knowledge Work – Implications, Opportunities And Risks
The research project focuses on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications in the intraorganizational workplace of knowledge workers. The project investigates with which...
Entrepreneurship and innovation · Society and cultureDemystifying AI in entrepreneurship
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to sustainably change how value is created in all sectors. In order to tab into this potential for...
Entrepreneurship and innovationTask Force: European Platform Economy
The “Task Force European Platform Economy” is a group of HIIG researchers who study the implications of global platformisation for European actors and institutions....
Entrepreneurship and innovation · Society and cultureCompeting and complementing – The relation of Co-determination and new participatory platforms within companies
In our project “Competing and complementing – The relation of co-determination and new participatory platforms within companies” we do research on workers participation on...
Entrepreneurship and innovation · Science and educationOpen!
OPEN!NEXT – Open and community-based innovation processes Recent socio-technological evolutions in Europe and around the globe show: product innovation is not the exclusive remit...
Entrepreneurship and innovation · Society and cultureGemeinsam Digital
_Gemeinsam digital, the Mittelstand 4.0-Kompetenzzentrum Berlin, is a central contact point for all companies in Berlin and nationwide that have questions about digitization. Our...
Entrepreneurship and innovation · Science and educationEntrepreneurship Research Lab (completed)
Our Innovation and Entrepreneurship team is a transdisciplinary group of researchers at the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet & Society (HIIG).
Entrepreneurship and innovation · Society and cultureDigital Innovation in German mid-sized businesses
Digitalisation brings new opportunities and growth potential, especially for the German Mittelstand. What kind of activities and strategies are pursued when it comes to...
Entrepreneurship and innovation · Society and cultureHow to collaborate with startups?
Joint innovation projects by corporates and startups are being supported by ongoing digitalisation. These collaborative approaches consist of different engagement models such as startup...
Entrepreneurship and innovation · Society and cultureUser innovation in smart energy technologies
Interconnected, intelligent energy systems are a highly discussed issue. Such systems are used by customers to control and measure their energy us-age.
Entrepreneurship and innovation · Media and data»dwerft«
In March 2014, a three-year research project on new technologies for digital moving images will start in Babelsberg: the »dwerft«.
Annika UlichResearcher: Innovation and entrepreneurship
Christoph GerlingResearcher: Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Fabian Stephany, Dr.Associated researcher: Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Hendrik Send, Prof. Dr.Associated Researcher: Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Jessica Schmeiss, Dr.Associated Researcher: Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Juliane HennStudent assistant: Innovation and entrepreneurship
Lea ErlenweinStudent assistant: Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Marie BlümlStudent assistant: Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Martin Wrobel, Prof. Dr.Associated Researcher: Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Maximilian von Grafenstein, Prof. Dr.Associated Researcher, Co-Head of Research Programme
Miriam Wolf, Dr. (on parental leave)Project lead "Gemeinsam Digital": Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Nancy Richter, Dr.Associated Researcher: Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Nastasja KroheStudent assistant: Innovation and entrepreneurship
Nicolas Friederici, Dr.Project Lead: Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Nils HungerlandStudent Assistant: Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Nina HrkalovicAssistant to the research director
Philip MeierResearcher: Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Shirley OgollaResearcher: The evolving digital society
Stephan Bohn, Dr.Researcher: Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Stephan Jansen, Prof. Dr.Associated Researcher: Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Tanja ZagelHead of Science Communication | Project Management: Digital Continuing Education
Thomas Schildhauer, Prof. Dr. Dr.
Tina KrellResearcher: Innovation and entrepreneurship
Vivien HardFormer Student assistant: Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Lectures and presentations
Varieties of Platform Strategy: An Exploratory Study of European EnterprisesWorkshop Regulating work in the platform economy (Session: The effects of the platform economy: business models and value chains). Hertie School, Berlin (online), Germany: 27.05.2020
Nicolas Friederici
Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa: Last Mile Platforms and Other Localized Business ModelsGIZ.Digital Gateway Online Event. GIZ, Bonn (online), Germany: 27.03.2020
Nicolas Friederici
Economic Geographies of the Digital. Universität Bayreuth. Weizenbaum Institut, Berlin, Deutschland: 24.01.2020Nicolas Friederici
Was steckt eigentlich hinter dem Begriff „Künstliche Intelligenz"?Deutsche Wohnen SE:. Deutsche Wohnen SE. Deutsche Wohnen SE, Berlin, Germany: 30.09.2019
Thomas Schildhauer
How can startups collaborate and engage with corporatesStartup Class 2019 (Session: Digitales Lernzentrum from Facebook). Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht Berlin. Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht Berlin, Berlin, Germany: 20.09.2019 Further information
Thomas Schildhauer
Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa. BI Norwegian Business School, Oslo, Norway: 13.09.2019Nicolas Friederici
An exploration for value capture mechanisms in platform-orchestrated networksInternational Conference on Design and Technology. Technion, Haifa, Israel: 18.06.2019 Further information
Philip Meier
Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa: Escaping from Silicon Valley’s Long ShadowWorld Bank Finance, Competitiveness & Innovation Global Practice. World Bank, Washington, D.C., USA: 21.05.2019
Nicolas Friederici
Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa: How a Continent Is Escaping from Silicon Valley’s Long Shadow. Quello Center, Michigan State University, Michigan, U.S.A.: 20.05.2019 Further informationNicolas Friederici
The Platformization of EverythingPresentation. Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation, Haas Business School, University of California, Berkeley, USA: 22.04.2019 Further information
Philip Meier
Colloquium Development Geography (Session: Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa: Escaping from Silicon Valley’s Long Shadow). Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany: 01.02.2019Nicolas Friederici
Blockchain-enabled value creation between multiple parties: A transaction cost perspective.World Open Innovation Conference (Session: Digital Transformation). UC Berkeley, Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation. Berkeley Haas, Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation, San Francisco, USA: 13.12.2018 Further information
Jessica Schmeiss, Katharina Hölzle, Robin Tech
"Kooperation zwischen Startups und Mittelstand"Mittelstand 4.0 Kompetenzzentrum Regionalkonferenz Berlin. Gemeinsam Digital: Mittelstand 4.0-Kompetenzzentrum. Mercure Hotel Berlin Tempelhof, Berlin, Germany: 08.11.2018
Philip Meier
Digital Entrepreneurship in AfricaManagement Research Seminar: Lecture on Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa. WU Wien, Vienna, Austria: 06.11.2018 Further information
Friederici, N.
Künstliche Intelligenz und neue Formen der ArbeitThink Big Camp XXL. Deutsche Kinder- und Jugendstiftung. O2-Tower, Munich, Germany: 19.10.2018 Further information
Shirley Ogolla
Smart Energy in Deutschland – Wie Nutzerinnovationen die Energiewende voranbringenHEA-Tagung 2018 - Märkte.Partner.Energie (Session: Energie smart nachgefragt). Umweltforum Berlin, Berlin, Germany: 19.09.2018
Matti Große
Determining Datamining - A Marxist perspectiveMyData Conference 2018 (Session: Debating Rights and Responsibilities). Open Knowledge Foundation Finland. Kulturittaallo, Helsinki, Finland: 29.08.2018
Christopher Olk
The governance of open business models through blockchain technologyR&D Management Conference 2018 (Session: Digitally-enabled business model innovation). Politecnico di Milano. Politecnico di Milano School of Management, Milan, Italy: 02.07.2018 Further information
Jessica Schmeiss, Robin Tech, Jonas Kahlert
Surviving Social Media In The Workplace: A Kitre:publica 2018. Station Berlin, Berlin, Germany: 03.05.2018 Further information
Shirley Ogolla
Triggers of collaborative prototyping: A netnographic study of user innovation in open source hardware communities15th International Open and User Innovation Conference (Session: Communities: User Innovation and Open Source 1). University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria: 12.07.2017
Matti Große
Identification and Classification of User Innovation: Implications for Future Research15th International Open and User Innovation Conference (Session: Innovation Policy). University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria: 11.07.2017
Jakob J. Korbel, Matti Große
Consequences of digitalization for service innovation theories: conceptual ideas and implications for future research16th International Schumpeter Society Conference (Session: The Digital Economy). International Schumpeter Society. Hotel Bonaventure, Montéal, Canada: 07.07.2016
Matti Große
Panels
Brave new world?! Opportunities and challenges for sustainable development in the digital ageGronen 2020 - All Systems go?! Sustainability in the Digital Age. Group for Research on Organizations and the Natural Environment, Lisbon (online), Portugal: 17.06.2020 Further information
Ali Aslan Gümüşay
Leibniz Media Lunch Talk: Der Corona-Effekt: Pandemiebekämpfung durch digitale Medien in China und Europa. Leibniz-Institut für Medienforschung | Hans-Bredow-Institut (HBI). Leibniz-Institut für Medienforschung | Hans-Bredow-Institut (HBI), Hamburg, Germany: 28.04.2020 Further informationJörg Pohle, Tina Krell, Deniz Erden
The Effects of Automation on Employment, Wages, and Inequality in Germany. American Academy. American Academy, Berlin, Germany: 09.12.2019 Further informationThomas Schildhauer
Kampf der Plattform-Giganten – wie sieht der deutsch-europäische Weg aus?11. Internet Governance Forum Deutschland. Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft & Energie, Berlin, Germany: 11.09.2019 Further information
Nicolas Friederici
Organisation of events
Entrepreneurship and Innovation for the Common GoodCollaborative Open Course for Master Programs in Business Administration, Management and Organisation Studies. 16.04.2020. Organising in Times of Crisis, Innsbruck, Austria (International) Further information
Ali Aslan Gümüsay
‘God at Work’: Engaging Central and Incompatible Institutional Logics through Elastic Hybridity07.01.2020. Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany (National) Further information
Ali Aslan Gümüsay
Nominations
Member of the Advisory Board: BMBF project Africa digital in cooperation with technopolis group and konnektiv.Nicolas Friederici
Member of DFG Network Digital Strategizing.Ali Aslan Gümüşay
Principal Investigator: DFG Network “Grand Challenges & New Forms of Organizing”.Ali Aslan Gümüsay
Jury member: Diamond Star (Handelsblatt-Tagung).Thomas Schildhauer