For many years, the public innovation support system has had the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as its primary target group. DFiR has given nine recommendations to improve the impact of the innovations support system by addressing those who have the capacity for innovation, the Innovation Ready Enterprises (ERIs) and not primarily a target group defined by size (SMEs).
In the report ”Innovation Ready Enterprises (ERIs) – a new target group for the innovation support system”, DFiR shows that enterprises making use of the innovation support system benefit from it. Measured by work productivity enterprises making use of the innovations support system have greater growth than those which do not use of the system.
DFiR concludes that ¾ of the R&D active enterprises do not make use of the innovation support system though they might benefit from it. It is also the case for many enterprises within industrial sectors of great importance to Danish economy, but which do not appear as innovation active e.g. the sectors Construction and Agriculture, foresty and fisheries. This shows an unrealized potential.
DFiR’s report shows, that enterprises benefit from having used the innovation support system in terms of growth in work productivity. The investigations also disclose new potentiel users whom may benefit from using the innovation support. It could be among knowledge-based enterprises that do not use the system already. It could also be among enterprises within industrial sectors of great importance to Danish economy, but which do not appear as innovation active, e.g. the sectors Construction and Agriculture, foresty and fisheries.
In the report DFiR gives nine recommendations for how to improve the impact of the innovation support system by addressing more focused target groups.
About the project
DFiR launched the project by the end of 2017. The project builds upon results from a previous DFiR project on the structure of the innovation support system, cf. DFiR’s annual report 2016.
DFiR has through four steps disclosed who have been the target groups for the innovations support system, who have been using the system and who have not, and have the users been identical to the target groups. Finally, DFiR has also investigated the non-users reasons for not using the system.
The elements of the project
- A review on literature on target groups for the innovation support system – on a strategic level and on the level of the operational parts in the programs and innovation support system.
- An initial data survey on who have been using the system and who have not though they might benefit from it
- A qualitative pilot test on the needs for help from the innovations support system among those who use and those who do not use the system
- An international perspective to Sweden and the Netherlands
Background material (in Danish only)
- ”Litteraturstudie: Målgrupper for innovationsfremmeindatsen”
IRISGroup on behalf of DFiR, February 2018 - ”Virksomheder i innovationsfremmesystemet”
Working paper by PhD Johan Kuhn on behalf of DFiR, June 2018 - ”Analyse af ikke-brugere af innovationsfremmesystemet”
IRISGroup on behalf of DFiR, July 2018