Business Secrets in the Spotlight: When Know-How Becomes a Competitive Advantage

AT&S turns to applied research

AT&S, a high-tech company based in Leoben and a hidden champion with around 13,000 employees, approached IMC Krems with this challenge. As part of her Master’s thesis, Hannah Gugganig, a graduate of the Management degree programme, analysed trade secret management at the internationally operating company.
The study combined an academic literature review with an analysis of company documents, workshops and interviews with employees as well as international experts. This enabled Gugganig to identify weaknesses and potential areas for improvement and develop concrete recommendations for practice.
“Trade secrets are currently highly relevant in business, while at the same time still being relatively under-researched. For me, this made the collaboration with AT&S as part of my Master’s thesis particularly valuable,” explains Hannah Gugganig. “It allowed me to put the knowledge gained from the literature directly into practice and link it to real-world examples.”
The topic is also of considerable academic relevance. At IMC Krems, trade secrets have been researched from an economic and business perspective for several years, including as part of EU-funded projects. Not every piece of confidential information automatically qualifies as a trade secret. At the same time, protecting trade secrets can be crucial for internationally operating companies: global competitive pressure and access to international markets increase the risk of valuable know-how being disclosed or deliberately targeted for theft.

When everyone is responsible, no one is accountable

One of the key challenges lies in determining organisational responsibility. Trade secrets encompass far more than the technical aspects that can, for example, be protected through patents. Their protection involves numerous areas of a company – from research and development, Human Resources and IT to site security, patent management and legal affairs.
“This Master’s thesis is a prime example of what applied research at a university can achieve: a specific challenge arising from business practice is examined scientifically and translated into actionable recommendations. At the same time, new knowledge is generated that is also relevant to research,” says Prof. (FH) Dr Alfred Radauer, Head of the Management degree programme.
Precisely because so many departments need to consider aspects of trade secret protection, there is a risk that ultimately no one feels explicitly responsible. This is further compounded by the fact that, unlike patent protection and other forms of intellectual property, there are no clear guidelines or established requirements defining how trade secrets should be protected. Gugganig’s Master’s thesis addressed these interfaces and explored them together with AT&S.

From Master’s thesis to the international research community

The value of the work extends beyond the specific corporate project. AT&S gained valuable insights for further developing its trade secret management, while the study also contributes to the emerging academic debate on how the protection of trade secrets can best be organised.
The work has also attracted international attention: in June 2026, Gugganig successfully presented her research at the R&D Management Conference at the University of Manchester.
“The interviews with recognised experts in the field were particularly valuable. They provided interesting insights and concrete examples from their professional experience. This allowed me to make the recommendations for AT&S even more closely aligned with practical needs,” says Gugganig.

The project also offered her new perspectives on a personal level: “The opportunity to explore a topic that is highly relevant to practice in depth, while gaining insights into different perspectives and experiences, made the project particularly rewarding for me. It showed me just how valuable the connection between academic research and practical application can be.”