An integrated presentation of the various projects and approaches to the single fields of activity and the documentation of the implementation are planned on the following aspects:

• tapping the start-up potential of scientific staff in universities and research institutions,
• sensitising students above all in technical/ natural science faculties,
• exploiting knowledge in these institutions about spin-offs,
• qualifications for founding a spin-off in technical / natural science and other faculties,
• advice and support for spin-off projects,
• assistance with infrastructure,
• further aspects in accordance with approved EXIST III projects.

Processing experiences and insights refer to the following points:

• pointing out good practice, typical barriers and problems with implementation as well as approaches to overcome these,
• comparisons of developments in relevant environments,
• comparisons with other forms of exploitation and models of promoting spin-offs.

In this module, individual aspects which are significant not only for the most important fields of EXIST III, but also for the programme as a whole should be examined in more depth. By arrangement with the BMWi, other aspects can also be analysed in depth if a relevant need emerges during the course of the promotional measure. We differentiate between individual start-up plans and the university sector as seats of learning, respectively the area of universities and research institutions as organisations as breeding grounds for spin-offs. The following is planned for these three areas.

• individual start-up plans: among others, case studies of experiences with founding spin-offs from universities and research institutions (pre-founding phase) and analysis of the role of mentors as promoters and guides in the start-up phase;
• universities: entrepreneurship education and founding-related further education in the university context from the participants' perspective; measuring the progress in the development of entrepreneurship education in Germany compared with the USA;
• research institutions: identify approaches to tap the founding potential in research institutions in collaboration with the support offered by the universities from the founders' viewpoint; monitoring the activities of research institutions to stimulate and support spin-offs.

In the middle and towards the end of the promotional period the most important implications for the actions and decisions required in EXIST III from a scientific and programme-related viewpoint will be processed and presented in the form of a short interim report.

The design of such a complex promotional measure as EXIST makes great demands of the scientific monitoring process and evaluation of the programme's impacts, as a result of the following aspects:

• from the promotion applications in the years 2006, 2007 and 2008 probably approx. 45 to 50 projects will be selected for promotion via EXIST, lasting 3 years. Monitoring and evaluating the promoted projects by processing the lessons learned thus already covers a broad area, speaking purely quantitatively.
• The 45 to 50 EXIST-III projects represent on the one hand multi-actor-/ multi-measure approaches in widely differing regional and university contexts, on the other hand, they are substantively heterogeneous, as their focuses cover the four main EXIST fields of activity, albeit in different ways (idea generation, consulting, qualification and sensitising).
• EXIST pursues goals which are difficult to operationalise. This applies primarily to the first three goals. The fourth goal ("Clear increase in the number of innovative company start-ups and thereby creation of new and secure jobs") can in principle be easily measured, but the causes are not unambiguous, as support measures and infrastructure of the initiatives are being promoted and not enterprises.
• EXIST provides stimuli for processes of long-term change in universities at a time when they are already confronted by many and varied calls to reform their internal structures and their role in the national science and innovation system.

The approach and instruments of scientific monitoring can be characterised by the key words: monitoring, interim evaluations and ex post evaluation. Target groups of the investigation are the EXIST projects with their relevant network partners, students, scientific staff and newly established innovative companies.