The Role of Small Manufacturing Enterprises in Innovation Development of the Real Sector of Economy: Economic and Statistical Study

Abstract

The aim of the economic and statistical study presented by the authors is the evaluation of the role of small manufacturing enterprises in innovation development of real sector of Russian economy. Compared to developed countries, Russia is characterized by a relatively low innovative activity of small industrial enterprises, as well as by their smaller contribution to employment and to the increase of living standards of the population. At the same time, small industrial enterprises have the highest potential for innovation growth, especially in high-tech economic activities. The similarity of small enterprises’ definition in Russia and in the European Union, the magnitude of innovative activity of small enterprises in Europe, and the development of instruments to support innovative companies make studying the European experience in stimulating the innovative activity of small enterprises in the real sector of the economy in order to adapt it to domestic practice relevant.The authors reveal the potential areas of innovative activity growth for small manufacturing enterprises on the basis of foreign experience as well as develop recommendations on support for small entrepreneurship in industrial sector. The research is based on Community Innovation Survey (CIS), national reports of European countries on the topic, the federal statistical surveys № 4 and № 2-MP provided by the Federal State Statistics Service.The study revealed key drivers of European small enterprises’ innovative activity: well-developed cooperation with other organizations, substantial investment in R&D, broad coverage of small business enterprises with support measures. Best European practices of small enterprises’ innovative activity and the analysis of the main barriers of Russian small enterprises’ innovative activity allowed to define the promising directions for supporting small business the real sector of economy of Russia: developing modernization programmes for enterprises, extending the access to borrowed financial sources, developing cooperation ties between small business enterprises. The authors highlighted growth points of innovative activity of small manufacturing enterprises that can be taken into account while developing support measures in order to increase small business’ innovative activity, create new jobs and provide population employment.