SMEthod field studies finished in the first half of September. As a result, a database was built covering data on 677 Small and Medium Sized Enterprises from the project case studies countries: Finland, Poland, Spain, and the UK, including also a smaller sample of 75 other countries in order to have an international background for research findings.
The survey was conducted using Computer Assisted Web Interviews and Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews. We asked our respondents different and sometimes very detailed questions. Questions covered companies’ characteristics and activities in relation to their innovativeness, management system, received public support, performance, societal and regional impact of innovations and many other things that are crucial for identification of relevant determinants and variables to be included in the SMEthod methodology.
Results have been currently under analysis by the econometrician team from the University of Łódź, Poland. The database we created will enable us to answer our research questions, particularly to present an econometrically based evaluation of existing segmentation methods and innovation policies as well as to develop our improved methodology for segmenting innovating SMEs that will put a special emphasis on so far neglected, but hypothetically important factors, such as enterprise life cycle, regions of activity, innovation cycles and represented sectors. Furthermore, the data will be used by APINTECH, the IT partner of SMEthod to validate and train the decision support tool developed in the SMEthod project.
The following samples were achieved in respective categories:
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