Earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic there were real concerns of the impact being felt by startups around the world, with cash flow challenges all too real, and distinct concerns that many would not make it the other side. A few months on, new research from the University of Oregon explores whether the reality has matched those fears.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced substantial disruptions to the U.S. and global economies, and in turn the innovative ecosystem,” the researchers say. “We seek to characterize changes in the landscape of high-tech small firms that result from the ongoing pandemic and related policy responses, as well as to examine the direct impacts of these institutional policy decisions on the structure and health of the innovation ecosystem and its ability to supply and support public initiatives.”
Tracking high tech firms
The research aims to monitor any changes in the national ecosystem of innovative small firms, while also evaluating the effects policy decisions made in response to the pandemic had on that ecosystem. They will develop a database of small firms, with a particular emphasis on those that are supplying key health technologies.
These firms will be monitored according to their ownership and their geography to allow the researchers to understand whether firms are owned by minorities, women, and so on.
“We can identify firm-level characteristics that indicate which firms are most and least resilient, as well as those best positioned to assist with government countermeasures against the pandemic,” the researchers explain. “If we can paint a clearer picture of which areas of the innovation ecosystem are most susceptible to the effects of COVID-19, we can illuminate priorities for public and private sector efforts to rebuild innovative activity and allocate support resources more effectively.”
They will assess the effectiveness of programs, such as the Paycheck Protection Program, that were designed to help startups and small businesses survive the pandemic. The data from the analysis will be placed into an interactive dashboard that will hopefully allow policymakers to explore weakness and opportunities for improvement.
