The Borderstep Institute and the Chair for Innovation and Sustainability have developed a new monitor to identify business startups in the areas of climate protection, clean tech and sustainability. The “green economy” is characterized as an economic system which protects the climate, continually reduces polluting emissions and the introduction of pollutants into the environment, is based on the principle of a circular economy, decreases the use of resources in absolute terms, and basically functions in accordance with protection of the environment. With the Green Economy Startup Monitor, the Borderstep Institute is developing a monitoring instrument for systematically investigating business startups in the area of the green economy, and for carrying out regular surveys with selected indicators. The Green Economy Startup Monitor is directed at decision-makers and leading experts in the areas of the environment, the economy, and research and innovation policy at the federal, state and local levels, and at those national and international institutions and associations which are key players in promoting innovations and startups. It includes both high-tech startups in the areas of climate and environmental protection technologies, and other green startups in all sectors of the economy, from agriculture and forestry, the industry, the trades, transportation and commerce, to the service sector. The monitoring process will enable the identification of the share of green startups among all startups and developments in certain sectors, and thus enable the support of startups in this area in a targeted manner.

In a preliminary study on a Green Economy Startup Monitor initially a concept for the systematic ascertainment of business startups in the area of the green economy is to be developed, and survey of selected indicators for Germany and for an international reference region (California, U.S.A.) is to be carried out. The Green Economy Startup Monitor will create a new approach and better insight into green business startups by means of a primary survey of startups in incubators and technology centers. In developing the Green Economy Startup Monitor, the Borderstep Institute will work together closely with the University of Oldenburg (Prof. Fichter) and experts in research on startups and in the green economy, in the context of interviews and workshops. The results of the concept study are to provide a considerable contribution for the master plan in environmental technologies of the German federal government which is to be adopted in early 2013. The concept study on the Green Economy Startup Monitor is funded by the German Federal Ministry of the Environment (BMU) and the National Climate Initiative.