Dear Colleagues,

The ability of SMEs to compete against large companies is a topic of great interest to business management researchers. The flexibility and speed of adaptation of SMEs have shown their competitive value to counterbalance the advantages derived from economies of scale. The unwavering presence and competitiveness of SMEs in most sectors have changed the dominant opinions of the first half of the 20th century (Penrose, 1959) about a future dominated exclusively by a reduced number of companies. History has taught us that even in sectors where economies of scale play an essential role in competitiveness, there is always a place for SMEs, even if it is only in auxiliary activities. However, in the age of knowledge, where we are now, SMEs face a double challenge. The speed of knowledge generation increases by leaps and bounds due to the number of professionals in society who are dedicated to science (quaternary sector). This not only means that innovation in the processes and products occurs more quickly, but that the amount of knowledge to be integrated and involved in any innovative activity is greater, weakening the policy of complete in-house R&D. The need for innovation is increased by the strong competition of a globalized world and by the pressing need to have sustainable business activities without compromising the welfare of society. Can SEMs keep up with innovations with a limited number of high scientific profile employees and resources? This Special Issue is devoted to examining how SMEs solve this problem, namely the absorption of knowledge and the integration of this knowledge into complex systems of production of services and products in coopetition with other firms (Devece et al., 2019).

The mechanisms for SMEs to deal with the integration of complex knowledge in innovation processes are varied, although in various ways they imply collaboration with other organizations. Open innovation, regional clusters, firm networks, coopetition, and collaboration with universities and public research institutes are the main tools identified by management researchers that allow SEMs to keep apace with technological breakthroughs and scientific knowledge creation.

This Special Issue focuses on the collaborative activities of SMEs that allow, ignite, or support product/service and process innovations. Both product/service and process innovations are mostly based on technology development, integration, and implementation, but the role played by social science knowledge cannot be neglected in marketing and organizational innovations.

The questions that this Special Issue addresses, among others, are as follows:

What are the most efficient collaborative activities for innovation? Are they valid for any kind of SME? Are there differences between service and product industries (Yongyoon et al., 2012) or between services/products and processes (Hervas-Oliver et al., 2020)? For knowledge absorption, what are the most valuable policies for SMEs in business networking (Konsti-Laakso et al., 2012)?

How do the type of network and the position in the network affect the absorptive capacity of the SME (Nyuur et al., 2018)?

How should a network’s relations be managed (Brink, 2016; Ceci and Iubatti, 2012)?

How can the social and sustainability aspects be dealt with (McAdam, 2015; Harrington, et al., 2020)?

How might collaboration with universities and other public knowledge institutions be implemented (Kurdve et al., 2020; Apa et al., 2020)?

Considering the above, the aim of this Special Issue is to provide conceptual frameworks, tools, and techniques that allow SMEs to innovate in a world where knowledge and technology are evolving with a rapid pace and where the processes and products/services are increasing in complexity. The topics for this call for papers include but are not limited to the following:

• technology acquisition
• networking and coopetition in innovation activities
• open innovation
• absorptive capacity management
• innovation for sustainability
• SME–university collaboration
• coopetition for innovation

Although these topics are not exclusive to SMEs, the proposed papers must be focused on SMEs or include at least a comparison of SMEs with large companies. Quantitative as well as qualitative empirical studies are welcome, as are theoretical and applied papers.

References

Apa, R., De Marchi, V., Grandinetti, R., et ál. (2020). University–SME collaboration and innovation performance: The role of informal relationships and absorptive capacity. Journal of Technology Transfer

Brink, T. (2016). Governance of innovation and growth in SME networks. International Journal of Innovation Management, 20(3).

Ceci, F., Iubatti, D. (2012). Personal relationships and innovation diffusion in SME networks: A content analysis approach. Research policy, 41(3), 565-579.

Devece, C., Ribeiro-Soriano, E. E. & Palacios-Marqués, D. (2019). Coopetition as the new trend in inter-firm alliances: Literature review and research patterns. Review of Managerial Science, 13, 207–226.

Harrington, D., Walsh, M., Owens, E., et ál. (2020). Capitalizing on SME green innovation capabilities: Lessons from Irish–Welsh collaborative innovation learning network. In book: University Partnerships for International Development (pp.93-121).

Hervas-Oliver, J.L., Sempere-Ripoll, F.; Boronat-Moll, C. et al. (2020). SME open innovation for process development: Understanding process-dedicated external knowledge sourcing. Journal of Small Business Management, 58(2), 409-445.

Konsti-Laakso, S. Pihkala, T., Kraus, S. (2012). Facilitating SME innovation capability through business networking. Creativity and Innovation Management, 21(1), 93-105.

Kurdve, M., Bird, A., Lage-Hellman, J. (2020). Establishing SME–university collaboration through innovation support programmes. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management.

McAdam, M., McAdam, R., Dunn, A.; et ál. (2015). Regional horizontal networks within the SME agri-food sector: An innovation and social network perspective. Regional Studies, 50(8), 1316-1329.

Nyuur, R. B.; Brecic, R.;Debrah, Y. A. (2018). SME international innovation and strategic adaptiveness: The role of domestic network density, centrality and informality. International Marketing Review, 35(2), 280-300.

Penrose, E. (1959). The Theory of the Growth of the Firm.

Yongyoon, S. Moon-Soo, K. (2012). Effects of SME collaboration on R&D in the service sector in open innovation. Innovation-Organization & Management, 14(3), 349-362.

Prof. Dr. Marta Peris-Ortiz
Prof. Dr. Jaime A. Gómez
Dr. Sofía Estellés-Miguel
Guest Editors

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• SME
• sustainability
• open innovation
• technology acquisition
• absorptive capacity
• university collaboration
• coopetition