Germany's Most Innovative SMEs Receive Award

A total of 364 companies took part in the competition, 257 were successful across the three size categories (no more than 100 companies per size category). They managed to win over Professor Nikolaus Franke, an innovation researcher who is responsible for reviewing and selecting the companies on behalf of compamedia GmbH: "The TOP 100 winners have produced some remarkable innovations, because they maintain a firm focus on their ability to innovate." A total of 364 companies took part in the...

A total of 364 companies took part in the competition, 257 were successful across the three size categories (no more than 100 companies per size category). They managed to win over Professor Nikolaus Franke, an innovation researcher who is responsible for reviewing and selecting the companies on behalf of compamedia GmbH: "The TOP 100 winners have produced some remarkable innovations, because they maintain a firm focus on their ability to innovate."

The TOP 100 applicants were assessed on the basis of around 120 criteria. These included explaining how their innovation processes are organised and how they create a working environment that enables their employees to be creative (see www.top100-germany.com/test-criteria for further information).

Some of the key figures show the outstanding performance of the TOP 100: The winning companies' revenue growth is 22.7 percentage points above the industry average. They generate 36.8 per cent of their revenue from new products or innovative enhancements. Between 2016 and 2018, the TOP 100 winners were granted a total of 4,584 patents.

For a list of the TOP 100 companies in 2020, visit www.top100.de/die-top-innovatoren.

The TOP 100 competition

Since 1993, compamedia has been awarding the TOP 100 seal of approval to SMEs with a particular ability to innovate and above-average success rates for innovations. Since 2002, Professor Nikolaus Franke has been coordinating the project scientifically on behalf of compamedia. He is the founder and director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. The TOP 100 is mentored by science journalist Ranga Yogeshwar. The three size categories are defined by the number of employees: up to 50, 51 to 200, and over 200.

Contact compamedia GmbH
Sven Kamerar
Head of Corporate Communications
Phone: +49-(0)7551-9498-633
Mail: [email protected]
www.top100.de