Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer-Kreer

Just like the Faculty of Agriculture, Nutritional and Engineering Science at the University of Bonn, I would like to dedicate my chair in Entrepreneurial Behaviour to focus in particular on the central concern of developing the scientific foundations for solutions for a sustainable future. This includes supporting their implementation in practice. To this end, I use a behavioural science perspective to investigate how entrepreneurs can become solution providers and drivers of innovation for the ecological and social challenges of our time. I am particularly interested in researching mechanisms that enable entrepreneurs and managers to combine economic, social and ecological values in their companies.

I am always fascinated to see how people pursue their own ideas with passion. My courses are designed to empower students and inspire them to think and work creatively and entrepreneurially. In practice-oriented courses, I teach students tools they can use to develop their own business ideas and, based on these, business models. Students learn that you don't have to be born an entrepreneur, but that anyone can develop the ability to think and act entrepreneurially. I am happy to be a contact person when it comes to startup and transfer activities for my students, to support and connect them with the right people.  

Greven, A., Beule, T., Fischer-Kreer, D., & Brettel, M. (2024): "Perceiving an entrepreneurial climate at universities: An inquiry into how academic entrepreneurs observe, use, and benefit from support mechanisms", Research Policy, DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2023.104929

Wagner, A., Fischer-Kreer, D. (2023): "The role of CEO regulatory focus in increasing or reducing corporate carbon emissions", Business Strategy and the Environment, DOI: 10.1002/bse.3517

Fischer-Kreer, D. & Brettel, M. (2022): "Accentuate the Positive? Sustainable Entrepreneurs' Framing of Positive and Negative Impacts", Journal of Cleaner Production, DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134319

Vaupel, M., Bendig, D., Fischer-Kreer, D. & Brettel, M. (2022): "The role of share repurchases for firms' social and environmental sustainability", Journal of Business Ethics, DOI: 10.1007/s10551-022-05076-3

Feuß, S., Fischer Kreer, D., Majer, J., Kemper, J. & Brettel, M. (2022): "The Interplay of Eco-labels and Price Cues: Empirical Evidence from a Large-scale Field Experiment in an Online Fashion Store", Journal of Cleaner Production, DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.133707

Reck, F. S., Fischer, D. & Brettel, M. (2021): "Ethical Decision-Making in Family Firms: The Role of Employee Identification", Journal of Business Ethics, DOI: 10.1007/s10551-021-04774-8

Fischer, D., Greven, A., Tornow, M. & Brettel, M. (2021): "On the value of effectuation processes for R&D alliances and the moderating role of R&D alliance experience", Journal of Business Research, DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.07.007

Fischer, D., Brettel, M. & Mauer, R. (2020): "The Three Dimensions of Sustainability: A Delicate Balancing Act for Entrepreneurs Made More Complex by Stakeholder Expectations", Journal of Business Ethics, DOI: 10.1007/s10551-018-4012-1

Fischer, D., Mauer, R. & Brettel, M. (2018): "Regulatory focus theory and sustainable entrepreneurship", International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, DOI: 10.1108/IJEBR-12-2015-0269

Ms Fischer-Kreer has been a member of the PhenoRob Cluster of Excellence and a member of TRA Sustainable Futures at the University of Bonn since 2024. She has gained diverse experience in third-party funding through joint and individual projects:

- aKtIv: Transdisciplinary collaborative research project with eight partners and five associated partners. Project objective: Strengthening the resilience of water supply and protecting against critical system states by transforming water supply into an active and agile system. Funded by the BMBF.

- Mine ReWIR: Interdisciplinary project involving four institutions at RWTH Aachen University and regional companies affected by structural change. Project objective: to research the fundamentals for establishing a regional innovation ecosystem that can serve as the industrial backbone for the transformation process in the Rhineland mining region. Funded by the BMBF.

- CITE: Interdisciplinary initiative (Circular Economy Innovative Initiative in Textiles (CITE)) led by RWTH Aachen University. Project objective: To create a new ecosystem within and between higher education institutions that promotes the circular economy in the textile sector through entrepreneurial modules. Funded by EIT Manufacturing.

Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer-Kreer has held the W3 professorship for Entrepreneurial Behaviour at the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Bonn since 1 October 2023.

After studying industrial engineering with a specialisation in civil engineering at RWTH Aachen University, she obtained her doctorate there with a thesis on sustainability-oriented entrepreneurship. For this, she was awarded the Borchers Plaque for outstanding doctoral work by RWTH Aachen University. Since 2018, she has worked as an academic advisor in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Group (WIN) at RWTH Aachen University, where she was awarded the Faculty of Business and Economics' Publication Prize for Ethical/Social Responsibility and Diversity in 2020 and 2021 for her publications. After completing her doctorate, she gained experience in business and industry in the strategy department of a leading specialty chemicals group.

International research stays have taken her to the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India, and Tsinghua University, China, among other places. In her research, Prof. Fischer-Kreer focuses on mechanisms that enable entrepreneurs and managers to combine economic, social and ecological values in their companies. She is fascinated by how founders develop sustainable business models and how they can be drivers of innovation for the major challenges of our time. In practice-oriented courses, Prof. Fischer-Kreer teaches students tools for developing their own business ideas and business models based on them. The courses offered by the Chair of Entrepreneurial Behaviour are designed to empower students and inspire them to become entrepreneurs. In 2024, Ms Fischer-Kreer was awarded the Nicolaus August Otto Award by DEUTZ AG for her teaching approach.