Innovation and business performance determinants of SMEs in the Adriatic region that introduced social innovation

The objective of this study is to investigate innovation and business performance determinants of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) located in the Adriatic region that introduced social innovation and to compare these SMEs with SMEs that did not introduce social innovation or did not innovate at all. This research is a part of wider research on innovation in the Adriatic Region conducted as part of the EU-funded project PACINNO. The results show that social innovators perceive their business performance to be higher than their competitors and are exporting significantly more than other firms. This study contributes to the under-researched area of social innovation in the Adriatic Region with quantitative empirical results. In addition, the results can serve as guidelines for policy makers and other stakeholders, particularly in the field of social innovation.