Knowledge spillovers and innovation : analysis of the relationships between service centres and MSMEs from the regional perspective

The innovativeness of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) is dependent on accessibility to appropriate knowledge resources that enable creation of new market offers. Due to inherent limitations related to the possibilities of investing in the acquisition or creation of new knowledge, smaller entities may benefit from the proximity of large companies, especially multinational corporations, which are actively involved in new knowledge creation, and this knowledge has the ability to spill over. The flow of knowledge from service centres to local smaller companies has the potential to stimulate innovativeness in regional service functions, creating opportunities for paper is to analyse the impact of the flow of knowledge from service centres to MSMEs as a result of interactions between them. For this purpose, empirical data from quantitative research carried out by the research team in 2016 on a representative sample of 1,100 micro small and medium-sized enterprises in the Zachodniopomorskie (West Pomerania) voivodeship were used. The analysis shows that service centres can have a positive impact on the innovativeness of companies in the regions in which they are located, provided that there is a flow of knowledge as a result of direct transfer or personal interactions.