The namesake of the Steinbeis Foundation, Ferdinand von Steinbeis (1807-1893), supported the transfer of knowledge and technology and the establishment of technology-orientated companies as a trade promoter in the 19th century. He is considered the father of dual education in Württemberg. 40 years have now passed since Johann Löhn began to reorganise and expand the Steinbeis Foundation in 1983. The result is a network of 1,100 Steinbeis companies. To this day, the foundation is based on an entrepreneurial knowledge and technology transfer process, orientated towards the needs of the markets.

In this publication, the Steinbeis Foundation has taken this as an opportunity to kaleidoscopically reflect Ferdinand von Steinbeis' problem-solving approaches, which are still essential today, in terms of what characterises the network: creating meaning and value for science, business and society. The authors and interviewees of the publication are Steinbeis entrepreneurs as well as long-standing partners and companions of Steinbeis.