By James A. Cunningham, Newcastle University, UK, james.cunningham@newcastle.ac.uk
The UK has adopted aspects of the US SBIR programme which was established in 1982. The UK version of the programme, established in 2001 was titled the Small Business Research Initiative. The programme was later labelled a failure in that it did not reflect the anticipated performance in terms of participation by government departments or spending contracts of the similar programme US SBIR. At the end of 2007 improvements were made and a newly reformed version of the initiative was created. By 2008 a new UK SBRI programme was launched that mirrored more of the US SBIR programme. Responsibility to coordinate and drive the UK SBRI programme was given to Innovate UK (previously known as the Technology Strategy Board) and the then Department of Trade and Industry. This monograph describes the evolution of the UK program.
The Globalization of the U.S. Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program presents how SBIR programs have spread across the globe. The U.S. SBIR program has become a template for legislation in other countries that seek to enhance the innovative nature of small firms. This special issue presents works by leading eminent scholars who describe individually the population of international emulated programs. The works are ordered by the date that the country adopted an SBIR-like program, including Turkey (1995), Australia (1996), Brazil (1997), South Korea (1998), Japan (1999), Taiwan (1999), United Kingdom (2001), The Netherlands (2004), and New Zealand (2012).
Companion
Annals of Science and Technology Policy, Volume 8, Issue 1-2 Special Issue: The Globalization of the U.S. Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program
See the other articles that are also part of this special issue.