Systematic review of business support practice : Establishing design features

This paper addresses the research gap associated with the core components of effective SME business support and its governance. Adopting a systematic literature review protocol, this study analyses the academic literature published between 2004 and 2025, identifying a "nexus" of six core support components: interaction pattern, independent internalisation, diagnostic tools, depth of engagement, expert coaching, and concept translation, all of which are interdependent. Five key governance elements are also identified, focused on: evaluating outcomes, search and selection, funding and delivery partnerships, mobilisation, and client management. These findings are used to develop a framework which offers a content-agnostic blueprint for effective business support, emphasising high-intensity, one-on-one interactions and the critical role of expert practitioners able to translate concepts to specific SME contexts. This paper directly contributes to a deeper understanding of how support programs are absorbed and provides a foundation for future theory development and policy design.