The limited innovation of small businesses in the solar photovoltaic sector in the USA: is small business innovation research program such a boon for US small businesses?

摘要

Small business innovation research (SBIR) in the USA is heralded as a major program to support innovative new technologies by SMEs that will grow afterwards by selling products and services in the market. Instead we found, in the solar photovoltaic sector, that SMEs supported by the Department of Defense and National Aeronautics and Space Administration are mostly acting as internal services of these federal agencies: their products serve mainly, if not exclusively, these two defence-related organisations. Their future growth would thus be curtailed. The paper calls for a more accurate analysis of small business innovation research program and maybe other innovation policies.