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This research investigates the barriers impeding innovation within small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Brazil, exploring 54 innovation-related barriers categorized into six distinct groups to offer substantial insights and analyses pertinent to the decision-makers, researchers and SMEs.

This research employed a mixed quantitative and exploratory approach, utilizing fuzzy Delphi, fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) methods. The fuzzy Delphi method confirmed the categories and barriers through quantitative analysis, the fuzzy AHP ranked the validated obstacles and the fuzzy DEMATEL method identified causal connections among the top-priority barriers.

Out of 54 barriers, 23 significantly impacted SMEs. The “Financing and Financial” category was the most significant barrier, with “Access to Financing” being the most critical impediment. The barrier with the most influence was “Instability of Fiscal Policies,” and the highest causal priority was “Survival of the Priority Business,” identifying the government’s unstable fiscal policy as the principal barrier confronting SMEs in Brazil.

The primary challenges for Brazilian SMEs center on financing, fiscal policies and maintaining ongoing operations. By addressing these barriers and fostering a resilient business environment, SMEs’ innovation capabilities and competitiveness can be enhanced, serving as key drivers for sustainable economic growth in fluctuating economic conditions. This study contributes to the literature by highlighting and validating the main barriers to SME innovation, providing highly relevant information about the innovation process.

This study examines the relationship between the innovation ecosystem and performance measurement models. Although the innovation ecosystem and measurement models are widely recognized, the existing literature lacks a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between the proposed themes. Furthermore, it does not reveal how studies can be grouped to propose a thematic typology of the relationship.

The authors present a systematic literature review conducted in the Web of Science and Scopus databases, from a textual corpus that aided the proposition of the typology that aims to provide answers regarding the addressed themes.

The results of this review are based on a total of sixty peer-reviewed articles from the innovation ecosystem literature and performance measurement models between 1995 and 2020. The results make several contributions to the literature. First, by integrating evidence from empirical studies, the authors identified a typology formed by three classes: (1) ecosystem agents (2) analytical focus and (3) structured measurement tools. Second, the authors verified the relationship between the themes and discovered the existence of gaps to be filled, with the proposition of three drivers. Third, the authors presented a comprehensive mapping of field studies with a descriptive analysis of the textual corpus.

The results of the research provide important implications for researchers, managers and policy makers. Furthermore, the authors suggest directions for future research, including the need to examine the performance of the entire innovation ecosystem, integrating the different agents that exist for performance measurement.