Subject

The BayDat Online transfer portal is a joint project of the Transfer Offices of Bavarian Universities (TBU) and the Transfer Offices of Bavarian Universities (TBH), which is coordinated by FUTUR (Research and Technology Transfer University of Regensburg). It aims to provide companies, investors, start-ups and people from politics and society with an overview of the Bavarian research landscape. This is done via an online portal, which enables a cross-university search for research clusters and scientists. The research areas, laboratory equipment and cooperation opportunities of the scientists can be accessed in a clearly organised form. The portal also contains structural data, departments, libraries, affiliated institutes and the transfer centres of the universities and universities of applied sciences in Bavaria.

The Bavarian Ministry of Science has been funding the portal for over 20 years to the tune of €25,000 per year. The IHF was asked by the Bavarian Ministry of Science to evaluate the BayDat Online transfer portal.

Research questions

• Is there still a need for such a portal in times of internet search engines?
• Are there other portals or information offerings with similar content or similar objectives?
• How easy is it to find the portal via search engines?
• Which groups of people (entrepreneurs, investors, business founders) use the portal, how intensively and for what purpose?
• Is the data provided via the portal up to date?
• Is the information presented in a user-friendly way?
• Is the information provided so far sufficient?
• How are the funds made available actually used? Is the StMWK's funding of €25,000 p.a. appropriate in relation to the costs and effort involved in operating the portal?

Author

Dr. Maike Reimer, Thorben Janousch