- The institute addresses strategic, financing and other key challenges facing German small and medium-sized enterprises.
- As a new platform, it combines academic excellence with entrepreneurial practice and fosters structured dialogue between academia, business, policymakers and society.
- Two new professorships and a postdoctoral position will engage in research, teaching and knowledge transfer.
Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and Commerzbank AG have signed a sponsorship agreement to establish the new Commerzbank SME Institute. The institute at Frankfurt School will consolidate research and teaching, as well as the transfer of knowledge and results, on key topics relevant to small and medium-sized enterprises. Its primary focus will be on strategy and financing. The institute aims to develop into a platform that combines excellent research and teaching with continuous cross-industry exchange.
Commerzbank’s support enables the establishment of a research professorship, a practice-oriented professorship, and a postdoctoral position.
“With the Commerzbank SME Institute, we are creating a place for dialogue between business and academia, where new impulses will emerge through research and teaching,” explains Michael Kotzbauer, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Commerzbank. He adds: “The excellent research work of Frankfurt School provides the ideal foundation to address pressing and practice-relevant future challenges facing SMEs. Together with Frankfurt School, we aim to translate academic insights into practice and bring them to our clients, thereby strengthening SMEs in a sustainable way.”
“German SMEs are particularly characterized by their adaptability—a capability that has been developed over decades, often over centuries. In an environment shaped by technological disruption, geopolitical uncertainties, and increasing regulatory requirements, this strength is once again becoming a decisive competitive factor. Many companies are seeking guidance to assess strategic options, set priorities, and finance innovation and transformation in a sustainable way. At the Commerzbank SME Institute, we will build scientific expertise for this purpose and actively promote knowledge transfer between practice and academia. We are very grateful to Commerzbank for its generous support and the trust it represents,” says Professor Dr. Nils Stieglitz, President and CEO of Frankfurt School.
As a leading bank for SMEs, Commerzbank is distinguished by its expertise and close ties to medium-sized companies. This allows current topics from practice to be systematically integrated into research and teaching, for example through guest lectures or case studies. At the same time, the new institute will become an integral part of the Frankfurt School ecosystem. Collaboration with other research centers at Frankfurt School, such as the Centre for Performance Management & Controlling or the Frankfurt Competence Center for German and Global Regulation, enables interdisciplinary exchange on practice-relevant issues. In addition, the FS Entrepreneurship Centre and FUTURY provide direct access to the start-up and entrepreneurial ecosystem. The international alumni network of Frankfurt School also opens up further perspectives and connections.
