Bridging Regional Innovation Gaps: The Innovation Bridge Model for SME Support and Cross-Regional Competence Sharing

Abstract

Abstract: Finland has set a national objective to increase the number of companies engaged in research, development, and innovation (RDI), with a particular focus on encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to scale up their RDI investments and deepen collaboration with other businesses, research organisations and RDI stakeholders. The innovation capacity of SMEs plays a crucial role in driving regional growth and competitiveness. This paper introduces the innovation bridge concept, developed within a joint project between higher education institutions operating across Finnish regions. The concept is grounded in an innovation capability assessment conducted among 50 innovation-oriented SMEs in South Savo, Finland, which examined barriers and support needs related to innovation commercialisation. The assessment identified key structural and competence-related gaps in existing regional innovation support. The results indicated that promising business ideas often remain unrealised due to a lack of timely support, limited local expertise, or the absence of suitable testing and development environments. The innovation bridge addresses this gap by integrating fragmented regional support services into a clear, company-oriented service pathway that brings complementary expertise and resources closer to SMEs. It functions both as a practical tool for SME support and as a strategic mechanism for regional development. The model is built on regional Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs), which act as local one-stop shops and coordinate access to specialised expertise, testing environments, and networks across regions. Through cross-regional collaboration, the innovation bridge offers a concrete approach to strengthening SME innovation activity and regional vitality, particularly in structurally challenged regions. The innovation bridge enables intentional sharing and movement of know-how so that ideas, technologies, skills, and practices developed in one region can be understood, adapted, and used in the other. In the long term, the innovation bridge benefits both regions involved and their companies, while enabling development actors to operate within a more impactful innovation landscape and achieve more significant outcomes.