The European Commission sees entrepreneurship and innovation as the key to growth, employment and wellfare in Europe. However, some deficits related to entrepreneurship and innovation in Europe can be seen related to North-America and East-Asia.

In the recent years, research has shown the importance of high-growth innovative enterprises for job creation. The share and number of these kind of enterprises is small, but the share of jobs created by these enterprises is disproportionally large. However, Europe has great difficulties generating high-growth innovative enterprises which operate globally on a short term. Therefore, Europe is searching for effective ways to promote these enterprises.

It is unclear which policy measures should be taken to enlarge the impact of high-growth innovative enterprises. This study, by Dialogic, Empirica and the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) is meant to improve the policy concerning high-growth innovative enterprises. More information can be found at http://www.hgie-policies.eu/home/.

There is evidence that high growth innovative enterprises (HGIEs) contribute decisively to job creation. However, there is a lack of knowledge about HGIE characteristics and policies that could support them. The first policy brief in this study contributes new insights for both aspects.