The results of DFiR's analysis programme will add nuance to the debate on knowledge-based innovation and uncover the potential scope for future political efforts.
The three-year analysis programme consists of independent analysis projects, typically lasting one year. The first analysis project, "Innovative SMEs - rich and robust societies have smart companies", aims to characterise different segments of SMEs' use of the innovation promotion system. The goal is to make recommendations regarding the targeting of instruments for innovation-mature SMEs.
Innovative SMEs - rich and resilient societies have smart businesses
Based on existing investigations, the analysis project starts from the premise that the existing basis for research and development in Danish SMEs is challenged by declining investments and concentration of funds on fewer, larger companies. DFiR finds this trend worrying, as reduced diversity in the innovation ecosystem affects its ability to deliver the broad economic development and nuanced solutions society needs. At the same time, the global geopolitical balance has changed and protectionism is on the rise, which can lead to declining foreign investment in Danish research and development. It is therefore necessary to ensure initiatives that strengthen the number of R&D-active SMEs, but also that these initiatives specifically target SMEs that have the capacity to innovate.
The project is based on the conclusions of the DFiR report "Innovation-mature companies (IMCs) - a new target group for innovation promotion efforts" (2019), which estimates that there are 25-35.000 companies in Denmark that can be characterised as potential innovation-mature companies (IMCs). That is, companies that can be expected to benefit from the available instruments in the innovation system, but which for various reasons do not currently utilise the system.
The project is divided into three work packages. The first consists of a literature review of state-of-the-art knowledge on the factors influencing the R&D investments and innovation capacity of SMEs, including the role of public programmes intended to promote such investment and capacity. Second, the "Analysis of Potential" work package will examine how the 13 business clusters are reaching SMEs within the industries that can be associated with each cluster. The purpose is to investigate whether there are special potentials within the identified Danish positions of strength for increased involvement of innovation-mature SMEs in the innovation promotion system. As a supplement to this analysis, the work package "Segmentation Analysis" will take a deeper look across the innovation promotion system and update the analysis behind the IMC report from 2019. The purpose of this analysis is to identify which company characteristics are particularly decisive for a company's use of the innovation promotion system.
The results from the individual work packages will be published on this site as they are completed.