How do breakthrough technologies emerging from university research become successful ventures that create impact?
The researcher positions are part of an externally funded research project investigating the success factors of sustainability-oriented "deep-tech" transfer initiatives from universities. The project focuses on the earliest stages of venture creation when scientific research is transformed into entrepreneurial opportunities under conditions of high uncertainty.
The research explores how founders, researchers, technology transfer professionals, and other ecosystem actors perceive and manage uncertainty, which support mechanisms enable successful development, and how entrepreneurial ecosystems influence the trajectory of deep-tech ventures. Specifically, the project will focus on green chemistry and sustainability focused technologies from university research.
Using primarily empirical research approaches, the project aims to generate actionable insights for deep-tech early-stage accelerators, founders, universities, policymakers, and other organisations which foster high-impact deep-tech entrepreneurship. The analysis includes degree of innovation and sustainability as central parameters, and the results will the integrated into key regional innovation ecosystem initiatives such as greenCHEM.
You will join the Technology and Innovation Management (TIM) group at TU Berlin and work within a dedicated research team with other doctoral researchers and a postdoctoral researcher. The project offers opportunities for conducting research leading to a PhD degree.
The project is embedded in the innovate! lab, which offers innovative approaches to validating early stage deep-tech innovation ideas and building strong venture teams.
The project will involve close cooperation with:

• innovate! lab staff and supported entrepreneurial teams
• the greenCHEM innovation ecosystem within the Berlin University Alliance
• an emerging international research collaboration with other leading European Universities including Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Center for Entrepreneurship.

• Conduct high-quality empirical research in the fields of entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology transfer, with a special focus on behavioural science approaches.
• Collaboration with other researchers at the technology and innovation research group (TIM) at TU Berlin and with international partners.
• Collaborating with teams from the innovate! lab and greenCHEM to improve research-informed support services for transfer initiatives.
• Presenting research results at research and practice conferences, publishing in recognized academic journals, etc.

• Successfully completed university degree (Master, Diplom or equivalent) in Industrial Engineering, Business Informatics, Business Mathematics, etc.
• Solid knowledge in the fields of Entrepreneurship, Technology and Innovation Management from studies and own research
• Very good knowledge of quantitative methods of empirical social science research
• Excellent written and spoken English
• Experience and good knowledge in the analysis of deep-tech innovation initiatives, preferably with knowledge in green chemistry or related science competences is desired
• Knowledge and experience in supporting deep-tech transfer initiatives from universities is desired
• Good knowledge and experience in project management, preferably experience with agile project management methods is desired
• Experience in planning and conducting projects in collaboration with industrial and public partners is desired
• Ability to work in a team and interest in actively contributing to the development of the TIM department is desired
• Good knowledge of German required; willingness to acquire the missing language skills

You will be embedded in a truly unique empirical setting involving university spin-offs, transfer initiatives, and early-stage sustainability-oriented deep-tech ventures. There will be continuous opportunities for collaboration with researchers and practitioners across the Berlin innovation ecosystem. You will have opportunities to contribute to high quality publications and present your work at international conferences. Additionally, you will be integrated into an expanding international research network. The project offers opportunities for conducting research leading to a PhD degree.
At the TIM chair, our research is highly collaborative - our research group is organized into research teams, each consisting of a postdoc position and multiple doctoral students. We place great importance on collaboration and support among all team members and collectively develop our research, teaching, and transfer tasks. You are also part of a newly established, agile transfer unit – innovate! lab – that tests and implements innovative support services for research-based transfer initiatives within the Berlin University Alliance. At TIM, we maintain close national and international research cooperations, which we implement in projects with, for example, the Georgia Institute of Technology or the Danish Technical University (DTU). We strive for research achievements that we present at international conferences and lead to publications in internationally recognized journals. We are always committed to supporting the academic careers of researchers at TIM. We expect our PhD candidates to enrol in the doctoral program BIEM at the Faculty for Economics and Management, TU Berlin. Complementing your research activities, you will have many opportunities to interact with innovative startups, technology transfer organisations, and industrial partners, creating excellent opportunities for both academic and non-academic career development.

Please send your application with the reference number and the usual documents only by email (single pdf file, max. 5 MB) to Prof. Dr. Sören Salomo via sekretariat@tim.tu-berlin.de.

By submitting your application via email you consent to having your data electronically processed and saved. Please note that we do not provide a guaranty for the protection of your personal data when submitted as unprotected file. Please find our data protection notice acc. DSGVO (General Data Protection Regulation) at the TU staff department homepage: https://www.abt2-t.tu-berlin.de/menue/themen_a_z/datenschutzerklaerung/.

To ensure equal opportunities between women and men, applications by women with the required qualifications are explicitly desired. Qualified individuals with disabilities will be favored. The TU Berlin values the diversity of its members and is committed to the goals of equal opportunities. Applications from people of all nationalities and with a migration background are very welcome.