Innovation policy for SMEs (Dimension 8b) in the Western Balkans and Turkey

This chapter assesses policies and infrastructure for fostering innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Western Balkans and Turkey. It starts with an overview of the assessment framework and the progress made since the last assessment in 2016. It then analyses the four sub-dimensions of Dimension 8b: 1) policy framework for innovation, considering the overall strategic approach to innovation 2) government institutional support services for innovative SMEs, looking at the physical infrastructure to support SME innovation 3) government financial support services for innovative SMEs, assessing the availability and scale of direct and indirect financial schemes and 4) SME and research institution collaboration, asking whether policy approaches seek to establish links between academia and industry. Each sub-dimension concludes with key recommendations to support SMEs in becoming more innovative.