Identifying and ranking the policies of the science and technology parks to support new technology-based firms

Abstract

Due to the overwhelming complexity of the business environment, many new technology-based firms (NTBFs) face the risk of going out of business. Science and technology parks (STPs) as a keystone organisation in the innovation ecosystem have mission to support stabilisation and development of NTBFs. However, STPs have limited resources, it is necessary to identify the entire supportive requirements of these firms and to prioritise them. Next, the supporting actions can be initiated according to their priorities. In this research, 79 support requirements of NTBFs were identified and grouped into 14 main categories. To prioritise these 79 requirements, 18 chief executive officers of NTBFs (within the Paradise and Tehran University STPs) were surveyed. The surveys were analysed using fuzzy TOPSIS method to rank the requirements. In conclusion, it was indicated that supporting NTBFs in marketing and providing awareness of market changes are of higher priority compared to other supportive actions.