SMEs dealing with the crisis. Empirical evidences for regional innovation policy: impact study of public supports to firm growth

Crisis and recession problems strongly require innovative interventions supporting the firm growth. Several European governments have already begun to assist their national firms by them, but often their results are ambiguous: they are strongly influenced by the firms’ structure/market performance and by the shape, way, timing of the intervention insertion. This script analyses the initiatives realized in 166 SMEs located in an Italian Technological District. It shows the immediate positive impact of innovative interventions and it underlines the crucial role, in the longer period, of the firms and intervention’s structural characteristics. They should be carefully considered during innovation policy implementation.