How Can External Relationships Enhance Innovation in SMEs? New Evidence for Europe*
基于欧洲六国约500家中小企业数据，研究发现主动加强与创新供应商、用户、客户以及实验室和研究机构关系的中小企业，其创新绩效和新产品开发结果更好。
This paper investigates the role of external relationships as key drivers of small business innovation. An empirical analysis is based on data for approximately 500 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in six European countries. The results indicate that innovation performance is higher in SMEs that are proactive in strengthening their relationships with innovative suppliers, users, and customers. Furthermore, the findings of this paper support the view that SMEs will have better new product development results if they improve their relationships with laboratories and research institutes.