Industrial Research Foundation
The Industrial Research Foundation is a foundation under German law based in Cologne . Until 1988 it was called the "Foundation for the Promotion of Research for the Commercial Economy". It was founded in 1974 when the “Deutsche Industriebank” merged with the “Industriekreditbank” to form IKB Deutsche Industriebank .
The purpose of the foundation is to promote research in the areas of business administration, organization and technology that are of particular interest to the commercial economy, namely small and medium-sized enterprises. Successful implementation of the research results in medium-sized practice is the central success criterion of the foundation's work. Until the beginning of 2008, the foundation held a 10.7% stake in IKB Deutsche Industriebank, which has now been reduced to a small remainder. Until 2006, the foundation was financed from the dividend income of IKB. The foundation did not take part in the multiple support measures to save IKB due to lack of funds.