NONFINANCIAL INNOVATION FACTORS AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR HIGH AND MEDIUM-HIGH TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES dr. Marko Ropret, Slovenia marko.ropret@guest.arnes.si Sašo Sukič, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia saso.sukic@amis.net Peter Fatur, MSc peter.fatur@gmail.com prof. dr. Borut Likar, University of Primorska, Slovenia borut.likar1@guest.arnes.si ABSTRACT The article deals with the financial and nonfinancial innovation factors influencing the innovation and economic results of high and medium-high technology companies in Slovenia. It provides guidance for better management of the two groups of influential factors and, consequently, the increase of innovation and economic results. The results show that financial and nonfinancial innovation factors have comparable influence on the innovation results (confirmed hypothesis 1). At the same time we determined that optimization of financial innovation factors represents a significantly greater obstacle for companies, as is the case for nonfinancial innovation factors (confirmed hypothesis 2). Based on the performed research we can conclude that the nonfinancial factors represent an important opportunity for the development of the innovativeness in Slovenia. Due to the extensiveness of the necessary changes in companies, it is reasonable for the national innovation policy to provide more suitable incentives as regards both financial and nonfinancial innovation factors. Keywords: high and medium-high technology companies, financial innovation factors, nonfinancial innovation factors, innovation and economic results