Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Rolf Sternberg

Habilitation (Postdoctoral Thesis)
On the impact of public and regional technology policies on the genesis of high-tech regions – the examples of the U.S., United Kingdom, Germany and Japan. Hannover 1994.

PhD Thesis
Technology centres and business incubators as a tool of local development policies in Germany. Hannover 1987 (in German).

Diploma (Master degree equivalente)
Linkages between university and the regional economy – the example of the University of Hannover. 1984. University of Hannover (in German).

Short CV

Rolf Sternberg, Economic Geographer, born in Hanover, Germany, 1959. He has studied economic geography and received his first degree (1984) as well a doctorate (Ph.D., 1987) and the habilitation (1994) from the University of Hannover. Between 1995 and 1996 he worked as a full Professor of Regional Geography at the Technical University of Munich (Bavaria, Germany). Between 1996 and 2005 he was a full Professor (Chair) of Economic and Social Geography at the University of Cologne, Faculty of Economics and Social Science. In 2005 he moved to Leibniz University Hannover, Germany, and became Head of the Institute of Economic and Cultural Geography (full Professor in Economic Geography).

Sternberg’s main research interests are the spatial consequences of innovation and technology policy activities (e.g., technology policy instruments like business incubators/science parks), the geographical implications of digitization, and the regional causes and effects of entrepreneurship. Beside seven books he has published almost 200 articles covering highly ranked journals like ‚Research Policy’‚ Regional Studies‘, ‚Economic Geography‘, ‚European Planning Studies‘, the ‚Journal of Economic Geography' or ‚Small Business Economics‘.

His most important book publications include „Handbook of Research on Entrepreneurship and Creativity“ (2014, jointly edited with Gerhard Kraus), „Regional Dimensions of Entrepreneurship“ (2009), „German Start-up Regions“ (2006), “Endogenous regional development via start-ups?” (2003), „Entrepreneurship in Germany – Start-up activities from an international perspective„ (2000), „Technology policy and high-tech regions“ (1998, 2nd ed.) and „Balance of a boom“ (1997, 2nd ed.) on German incubators.

Since 1998 he is the leader of the German team of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) and for several years he was also a member of the GEM Research and Innovation Advisory Committee (RIAC).

Google scholar profile

A complete list of

• publications,
• academic presentations and
• research projects

Extended CV

• Deutscher Hochschulverband (German Association of University Teachers)
• ERSA (European Regional Science Association)
• GfR ( Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung, German-speaking branch of the RSAI )
• RSAI (Regional Science Association International)
• VGDH ( Association of Geographers at German Universities)
• Editorship and Advisory Council of Academic Journals and Series: German Journal of Economic Geography, Book Series "Wirtschaftsgeographie", Review of Regional Research, FGF Entrepreneurship-Research Monographs
• Steering Committee startingbusiness at Leibniz University Hannover
• WiGeoH (Association to support Economic Geography in Hanover), 2nd Chairman of the Association