The Main Directions of Developing the Infrastructure for Enhancing the Efficiency of Small Business and Entrepreneurship

This paper examines the potential of building strong entrepreneurial infrastructure to improve the productivity and competitiveness of small enterprises in Uzbekistan. Despite the leading role of SMEs in employment and GDP, there do exist persistent gaps in terms of innovation capacity, financing, and digital readiness. Through literature review variables appear as global institutional zoomed in models of cluster development, venture financing, and digital ecosystems showing directions towards different levels of needed coordination of institutional, financial and technological support. However, there is very little venture capital, and regional differences in infrastructure and commercialization of innovation is very weak in case of Uzbekistan, leading to the knowledge gap that this research seeks to address. This study uses a mixed-method approach through a combination of horizon scanning, international benchmarking, descriptive statistic and SWOT analysis of national SME infrastructures. It shows a massive leap from 2020 and2024 with increased number of SMEs, greater GDP share, proliferatedtechnoparks and incubators, boosted e-government adoption andenhanced innovation udgments. However, they are trailing well behind international standards, in particular, in finance, digital reach and research–industry linkages. The findings suggest that enhancing innovation infrastructure, increasing access to venture capital, deepening digitalization and stronger university–industry collaboration in Uzbekistan would accelerate SME efficiency. These development pillars will help reinforce a more innovation-led, sustainable and competitive entrepreneurial ecosystem.