Problems faced by industrial companies

For an SME or ETI, developing a breakthrough innovation means working closely with research laboratories, deploying a team of several dozen engineers and technicians for at least a decade, and investing heavily in technical hardware and software. The capacity for technological investment, in both tangible and intangible terms, is almost ten times greater than that usually required for incremental innovation.

SMEs and SMBs therefore lack the skills and investment capacity to invest in personnel, hardware and software to gain access to an emerging disruptive technology.

It's worth stressing the investment aspect here. Industry is a capital-intensive economic sector, which requires substantial funding, particularly...