The research program of the Chair for Inter-firm Cooperation focuses on a theoretically informed, empirical analysis of inter-firm networks, especially in the service sector and science-based industries. Since recent economic policy lays emphasis on innovative potential within certain regions, research at the Chair for Inter-firm Cooperation currently also increasingly engages in the development and management of networks in regional clusters.

The program is partly driven by the inter-universitary and interdisciplinary Research Group “Inter-firm Networks”, which is chaired jointly with Prof. Arnold Windeler (Department of Sociology, Technische Universität Berlin). Besides the focus on inter-firm cooperation and networks, Prof. Sydow’s research focuses on management and organizational theory, project and innovation management, industrial relations and organizational path dependence.

Within the scope of this research program, working together closely with companies or even networks of companies (e.g. the Network of Automotive Excellence – NoAE or the cluster Optische Technologien Berlin-Brandenburg – OpTecBB (optical technologies)) is very common. This applies to doctoral dissertation projects as well as to externally funded projects. Several of these projects also imply international relations. One example of this is the collaboration with Prof. Chris Huxham at the Advanced Institute of Management Research (AIM) in London on a project about learning and managing inter-organizational networks within regional clusters.