The thesis clarifies the essence of small innovative entrepreneurship, in particular it provides a new definition of innovative enterprise. The specifics of small innovative entrepreneurship on the basis of the explanation of the innovative entrepreneurial orientation, the type of profit maximization (comparing it with the rent one) and the "course of action" is also investigated. Additional features of innovativeness assessment of small enterprises, as well as their "strong" and "weak" properties in the field of innovation were defined. The features of innovative activity of small business enterprises in the following directions are substantiated: initiation and generation of innovations; innovative activity development strategy; financial base formation for innovative activity; current management and innovative process organization; cooperation in the sphere of innovations, which influences the strategy; business model formation and innovations commercialization. Taking this into account, the classification of small innovative enterprises was improved, including such attributes as: the nature of innovation activity development strategy; specialization on certain innovations; level of developed technologies; nature of market growth; specialization on the stages of innovation cycle or process; reference to innovation infrastructure; participation in state programs and public-private partnership, etc. Its structural blocks and levels of formation are distinguished, which defines new spheres for innovative activity of small business enterprises. The specifics of the emergence of innovation and the positions of small enterprises under different types of market structure, which are covered by the digital economy (monopoly, oligopoly, monopoly, monopolistic competition, perfect competition) were determined.
The features of the digital economy formation in small enterprises are defined, the problems of their development and innovation activities are established. The key areas of support for innovative activities of small enterprises are highlighted. A methodical approach to the identification of the main parameters of small enterprises in the digital economy is proposed. This methodological approach combines: an assessment of the digital economy at the macro level based on the GCI; an assessment of the digital economy at the micro level where the selection of its parameters that most affect the development of small enterprises is based on regression analysis. The strategic and tactical directions of small enterprises development in the context of the transition to a digital economy are highlighted. The proposed key areas of support for innovation activities of small enterprises in Ukraine will provide a comprehensive solution to the problems of innovative development of such enterprises. Considering the analytical results, the thesis highlights the strategic directions of development of innovative activities of small enterprises in the context of the transition to a digital economy, covering: new sectoral priorities, the structural blocks of the digital economy, the trends of socio-economic transformation. In this context, proposals for improving the implementation of mechanisms to support innovation activities of small enterprises in order to promote the emergence of a digital economy have been developed. These proposals cover financial support from the state and commercial banks. A new model for the development of innovative activities of small enterprises, taking into account external support, which provides for the expansion of support methods that can be used by the state and commercial banks, as well as supplementing them, respectively, with state guarantees and risk management, has been proposed. External financial support of innovation activities is proposed to focus on the early stages of innovation development, which will enable small enterprises (startups) to form a financial base and gradually acquire the necessary strategic competencies (R&D, technology, management, marketing, etc.) and competitive advantages (managerial, technological, intellectual). The conceptual framework is formulated and practical recommendations for the formation of an ecosystem of small innovative enterprises (ESIE) in the digital economy are developed. In particular, such an ecosystem is presented as an integrity of institutional, economic, infrastructural, informational, social conditions, which makes it possible to evaluate and comprehensively improve them. Recommendations on the formation of ESIE in the institutional, infrastructural, informational, economic and social aspects are also offered.
Key words: small enterprises, small business, innovations, innovative activity, information technologies, digital economy, development strategy.
