How to chose innovation policies to foster SMEs growth. A region - industry - firm type approach

This paper aimed at defining a common methodological framework for the evaluation and decision regarding innovation policy instruments, suitable for an international comparative approach. It may be useful in empirical analysis and operative projects. In particular, the originality of the methodology are the interdisciplinary approach, considering all three main factors affecting innovation systems, especially when thinking to SMEs: the territorial, the technological and the entrepreneurship dimension. In addition, the methodology has adopted a demand driven approach, based on the precise identification of the needs of services, by analysing them according to different dimensions: industries/technologies, firms and regions. Thus, the study has adopted a strategic perspective and it indicates that the identification of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats is facilitating the identification of the actual needs and demand of technology transfer services in a given region. The methodology is also characterized for having analysed a wide variety of the instruments, which can be used in innovation policies ranging from a top-down, governmental approach to a bottom-up and market approach. This model allows to support decision makers in measuring in a more rigorous and quantitative way the complementarities and the trade-offs of these innovation policy instruments, while aiming to respond to various and interdependent needs, which may have a different priority in various industries, firms and regions. This is clearly also an effective approach to investigate on regional attractiveness factors and it is a new method of evaluation when applying the model reversely, as well as it is useful to identify most suitable initiatives to apply to enhance the competitiveness of a territory.