SMEs cross-border collaborations in the Adriatic Region: Is the sea level rising the innovative performance?

Departing from the open innovation concept the impact of external sourcing of knowledge on the innovation outcomes of firms has been analyzed. By considering the geography of the external sourcing of knowledge, the aim of this exploratory research is to understand whether there is a higher gain for our sample of SMEs to engage in home-country networks or in trans-national networks for their innovation activities. Furthermore, we will analyze the role of engagement in external collaborations and international market scope (or diversification) on the innovation performance in the case of SMEs within the Adriatic region. The findings of this study show that, the ability to develop collaboration with European actors provides relevant chances to enhance Adriatic SMEs innovative performances.