SME innovation and support in Upper Austria

This report is the Austrian contribution to the European TSER research project "SMEPOL" ("SME policy and the regional dimension of innovation"). The objective of this project is to analyze innovation policies aiming at SMEs, to evaluate their effectiveness and to propose potential improvements. For this purpose, important innovation support instruments for SMEs in several European regions - Upper Austria, the Triangle region in southern Jutland (Denmark), Lombardy and Apulia in Italy, Limburg in the Netherlands, Wallonia, northern and south-eastern Norway, Valencia in Spain, parts of London and its outer metropolitan area - have been investigated. This report focusses on the region of Upper Austria. It has four major parts: First, an introductory text describing the conceptual model of the research, its design and methodology, and presenting the investigated Austrian region. Second, a description of the national and regional innovation support system in general and an analysis of those support instruments which are most important for innovation activities of SMEs in particular. Third, an investigation of the innovativeness of SMEs in Upper Austria, the innovation barriers, and the effects of the selected support instruments on the firms' innovation activities. Fourth, conclusions regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the innovation support instruments and proposals for improvements. (author's abstract, ed. M.Putz)