INNOVATIVE IP-BASED CAPABILITY: A CONCEPTUAL MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are pivotal actors in the economic and social development of various nations, serving as essential engines for improving socioeconomic metrics, particularly in developing countries. Despite their importance, SMEs encounter numerous obstacles to growth, with innovation standing out as a critical strategic element for market survival and competitiveness. While often associated with large corporations, SMEs possess inherent characteristics that can facilitate innovation, yet they frequently struggle to quantify their innovativeness or identify necessary investment areas. This research gap is more pronounced in SMEs whose innovation outputs result in intellectual property (IP) assets, such as patents and trademarks. Strategic innovation management can be significantly optimized by incorporating foresight methodologies, which allow organizations to anticipate societal, environmental, and market shifts. Therefore, this paper proposes a conceptual framework designed to guide IP-intensive SMEs in evaluating their innovative capabilities. By integrating future prospection with capability assessment, the framework aims to assist these enterprises in designing more reliable and effective innovation strategies.