Framework and main drivers of non-technological innovations in Lithuanian SMEs

Abstract

This paper explores a prospective framework for, and the main drivers of, non-technological innovations in Lithuanian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The aims are to describe the non-technological innovation environment, including its stakeholders and the main drivers of non-technological innovations in Lithuania. Better analysis of these stakeholders and drivers requires a deeper understanding of the non-technological innovation framework, which includes the interaction between actors, their innovative, non-technological approaches and business models, and the dynamics that structure this system. The current Lithuanian non-technological innovation framework is examined, including recent changes and a proposed transformation framework for the future, with a focus on SMEs and comparable intermediary consulting institutions in countries in the Baltic Sea region – Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Poland and Sweden. The analysis shows that a system based on an innovative Spider Web tool developed by the Interreg BSR project ‘Supporting Non-Technological Innovation in Owner-Managed Manufacturing SMEs through Increased Capacity of Business Intermediaries’ is a supportive framework in the current situation and advances growth processes in the future.