The unprecedented development of the information and communication technologies sector has accelerated the spectacular changes in societies and employment trends worldwide. The adoption of ICTs in innovation systems has been a key factor in the overall competitiveness of economic regions and national economies. This paper studies the impact of ICT on regional development. To do so, a modelling approach is used to develop a framework-guidance tool that can formulate what-if scenarios of smart technology enhancement in a regional innovation system. The model is applied in two Greek regions with different development backgrounds, and the findings emphasise the importance of smart technologies in regional development in both cases.

Innovation systems consist of different organisations from the quadruple helix, as well as the interactions and linkages between them. Smart technologies and ICT play a key role in the efficiency of systems. At the same time, regional scale is considered crucial for studying innovation in systems. However, the lack of many important data at the regional level compounds the efforts to study them. The paper proposes a novel methodological approach to the regionalisation of national-level indicators in order to address this issue. This is based on the model fit approach, using regressions to “regionalise” national-level indicators based on similar indicators that are available. The approach is tested on the data for Greek NUTS 2 regions and produces regional-level estimates for four innovation indicators, based on four available indicators that are found to be strongly correlated to them. However, the same approach can be used for any EU country or the whole of the EU. The results, their prospects for future research, and potential applications are considered. Overall, the availability of regional-level indicators is considered crucial for the formulation of impactful development policies.

Acceleration programs can have an effect on business advancement prospects by offering access to mentors and information, capacity building, connections and networks with corporates and startups, all of which contribute to increasing the chances of entrepreneurial success. This study explores the effectiveness of an acceleration program, implemented in the cross-border region of Greece–Albania, where there are limited similar business support initiatives. The survey conducted among participants in the acceleration program aimed at identifying key elements that can contribute to shaping entrepreneurial potential in the cross-border region offering preliminary insight to policy makers in designing relevant business support measures. There is common consensus among both cross-border populations that the acceleration program has helped them develop their business ideas. The study reveals the different types of business weaknesses the acceleration program helped to address in the two populations and key criteria perceived to be contributing to business development. However, acceleration programs effectiveness is affected not only by criteria internal to business and the markets but also by the entrepreneurial ecosystem conditions pertaining. In this respect, business acceleration program designs should be tailored to address particularities in the entrepreneurial environment so as to be effective and contribute to business growth.

Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to provide a relatively integrated perspective on the role of market orientation, strategic flexibility and technological capability as multiple organizational capabilities and their potential effectiveness in promoting business model innovation (BMI) and business performance.Design/methodology/approach: To achieve this objective, an empirical survey was conducted among 379 firms in Greece. Initially, exploratory factor analysis and then confirmatory factor analysis were applied. Finally, the structural relationships among the latent factors were determined through structural equation modeling.Findings: The results show the positive effect of market orientation on strategic flexibility and technological capability. Strategic flexibility drives firms to BMI and then business performance. Furthermore, it is essential that firms build up technological capability to be effective in BMI and business performance.Research limitations/implications: Data were collected at only one point in time from one country, Greece. This might pose limitations on the generalizability of our results. Future research could also explore how organizations develop strategic flexibility and BMI capabilities in different environmental contexts and organizational structures.Practical implications: This study sends the message that companies focusing on market orientation and technological capability can led to higher strategic flexibility and BMI capabilities, which in turn act as a catalyst for business improvement.Originality/value: The proposed model provides plausible guidelines that advance the research on multiple organizational capabilities in companies.