SMALL INNOVATIVE ENTERPRISES AS A DRIVER OF ARCTIC DEVELOPMENT  AND TECHNOLOGICAL LEADERSHIP

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Svetlana E. Zhura1, Vladimir V. Markin2, Andrey A. Zamkovoi3

1National University of Science and Technology MISIS, Moscow, Russia

2, 3Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University), Moscow, Russia

1sgura2015@yandex.ru, ORCID 0000-0001-5383-4971

2markin.v.v@prs-va.ru, ORCID 0000-0002-9334-9898

3aaz@mai.ru, ORCID 0009-0007-6511-4315

Abstract. The transition to new technologies and the development of innovative products are strategic imperatives for a country seeking to strengthen its sovereignty and economic position in the Arctic.  At the same time, the Russian Arctic is characterized by vast uninhabited areas, limited road infrastructure, long distances, low population density, and severe climatic conditions, creating potential for the widespread deployment of unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Currently, small innovative enterprises can serve as providers of innovative solutions to major market players by developing and delivering field-tested technologies tailored to the demanding conditions of the Arctic. Their flexibility, rapid decision-making, and ability to address specific technological challenges enable small enterprises to contribute to the transition from pilot applications of UAS to their routine and large-scale use, thereby strengthening Russia’s economic and technological security in this strategically important region. This study contributes to the theoretical and practical understanding of the role of small innovative enterprises in the use of drones in the Arctic zone. The main purpose of the study is to analyze the development of small innovative enterprises in the Arctic UAS sector based on interaction mechanisms between market participants. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the development of a model that captures the relationships among small innovative enterprises, Arctic regions, and infrastructure and demonstrates the potential for generating synergistic effects through the implementation and use of UAS. The study identifies the operational characteristics of small innovative enterprises and distinguishes them from small technology companies more broadly; examines the formation and distribution of small innovative enterprises by institutional affiliation and regional characteristics; analyzes the number of active enterprises across priority areas of science, technology, and engineering; and provides statistical data on small innovative enterprises operating in the Russian Arctic.

Keywords: small innovative enterprises, small technology companies, technological leadership, unmanned aerial systems, Arctic, synergistic effect, economic efficiency

For citation: Zhura S. E., Markin V. V., Zamkovoi A. A. Small innovative enterprises as a driver of Arctic development and technological leadership. Sever i rynok: formirovanie ekonomicheskogo poryadka [The North and the Market: Forming the Economic Order], 2026, no. 3, pp. 117–134. doi:10.37614/2220-802X.3.2026.93.008.

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