R&D support services for small and medium-sized enterprises: The different perspectives of clients and service providers, and the roles of intermediaries

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) use R&D support services to increase their R&D efficiency because they can facilitate innovation by supplying the planning and management functions that SMEs may lack. This study investigates the issues that can arise during service transaction processes and ways of improving SMEs' use of R&D support services. We discuss the different perspectives of clients and service providers in Korea, where R&D support services have just emerged, and consider how a government-funded research institute could act as an intermediary to bridge the gap between those perspectives. The findings, largely produced through interviews and surveys, are expected to advance our understanding of the R&D support service industries, and offer strategic and policy implications that will improve SMEs' use of such services and thus improve their innovation capabilities.