Small innovative enterprises at universities: barriers and opportunities for development

The given article is of research character and aims at identifying the problems and development mechanism prospects of commercialization of university intellectual activity results through the establishment of small innovative enterprises. The research is based on the analysis of small innovative enterprises creation and functioning mechanism carried out on the basis of empirical data of Don State Technical University. The applied methods of systemic and situational analysis increase the objectivity of the results obtained. It is demonstrated that the main problems of small innovative enterprises functioning have organizational and financial character. The prospects of small innovative enterprises are seen in university innovation ecosystems development allowing creating the necessary environment for their functioning and, thus, improving their attractiveness. The results obtained can be useful to the heads of the universities and public author ment programs and strategies.