Initiators and Coordinators of the Global Entrepreneurship Week Germany

The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action was founded in 1949 as Federal Ministry of Economics. The Ministry is located in Berlin. The central priority of economic policy - and therefore of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action - is to lay the foundations for economic prosperity in Germany and to ensure that this prosperity is spread broadly throughout the population. In 2015, the Federal Ministry established the Initiative “Die Neue Gründerzeit” in order to develop entrepreneurial Spirit in Germany and to improve the situation of founders of new businesses.

The so-called Gründungswoche Deutschland (Global Entrepreneurship Week Germany) is an important part of this initiative. It is coordinated by the RKW Competence Center.

The RKW Competence Center is part of a nationwide organization, the German Productivity and Innovation Centre which was founded in 1921. In 1950, the institution was reestablished after the Second World War. The task of the RKW is to strengthen the productivity and innovative ability of the German economy and thereby to secure Germany as a viable location for the future. The RKW places a strong focus on future developments of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The RKW engages in implementation-focused analysis and research. It transforms applied research outcomes into knowledge about productivity improvement. Enterprises and founders of new businesses can use simple, pragmatic instruments and publications like guidelines, reference books and online checklists, designed to help SMEs solving current and future problems. RKW Competence Center is supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, based on an enactment of the German Federal Parliament.