Innovation in the business enterprise sector
Updated: 4 October 2021
Next update: 3 July 2023
| 2018-2020 | 2020 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per cent of all enterprises | Per cent of innovation active enterprises | 1000 NOK | ||||
| Innovation activity | Product- or business process innovation | Product innovation | Business process innovation | Enterprises with R&D or innovation co-operation | Innovation expenditure | |
| All industries | 63 | 58 | 38 | 48 | 44 | 74 579 776 |
| Manufacturing | 65 | 60 | 41 | 48 | 45 | 18 480 422 |
| Services | 66 | 61 | 43 | 50 | 45 | 45 229 668 |
| Other services | 52 | 46 | 18 | 41 | 41 | 10 869 686 |
| Size class | ||||||
| 5-9 persons employed | 60 | 55 | 39 | 45 | 45 | 6 923 791 |
| 10-19 persons employed | 69 | 64 | 43 | 51 | 46 | 9 136 414 |
| 20-49 persons employed | 59 | 54 | 32 | 46 | 36 | 12 819 150 |
| 50-99 persons employed | 66 | 61 | 37 | 51 | 46 | 8 526 604 |
| 100-199 persons employed | 71 | 65 | 47 | 53 | 57 | 7 692 353 |
| 200-499 persons employed | 76 | 70 | 51 | 58 | 60 | 8 613 289 |
| 500 persons employed and more | 84 | 77 | 63 | 70 | 74 | 20 868 174 |
Selected tables and figures from this statistics
- Innovation activity by detailed industryDownload table as ...Innovation activity by detailed industry
2018-2020 Pen cent of all enterprises Innovation activity Product or business process innovation Product and business process innovation product innovation product innovation (goods) product innovation (services) Process innovation (OM3) Business process innovation All industries 63 58 28 38 28 25 45 48 Fishing and aquaculture 62 49 20 23 18 10 39 45 Mining and cuarrying 52 46 15 20 17 13 37 41 Food products 65 59 31 44 41 13 44 47 Beverages 81 80 64 75 73 35 59 69 Textiles 67 64 30 46 45 13 41 48 Wearing apparel 55 47 33 44 44 20 31 35 Leather and leather products 17 17 17 17 17 0 17 17 Wood and wood products 61 59 19 26 25 6 50 51 Paper and paper products 75 65 29 47 43 14 47 47 Printing and reproduction 64 61 27 35 23 24 47 52 Refined petroleum products, chemicals and chemical products 76 62 38 57 54 19 40 43 Pharmaceuticals 79 79 43 72 72 14 36 50 Rubber and plastic products 75 70 37 53 53 19 49 53 Other non-metal mineral products 62 55 23 35 31 10 42 43 Basic metals 65 51 15 31 27 12 31 35 Fabricated metal prod. 54 51 26 30 28 15 42 46 Electronic and optical products 91 85 50 80 77 27 53 56 Electrical equipment 87 79 27 62 62 15 39 44 Machinery and equipment 77 73 40 58 45 33 47 55 Motor vehicles etc. 67 67 36 50 50 6 47 52 Other transport equipment 57 41 19 29 24 11 29 31 Furniture 58 55 25 34 29 21 44 46 Other manufacturing 79 76 46 61 57 30 56 61 Repair, installation of machinery 58 57 19 29 22 17 47 47 Electricity and gas supply 72 60 26 36 19 31 49 49 Water supply, sewerage and waste 67 57 23 27 14 21 50 53 Construction 46 43 9 14 7 10 35 38 Wholesale trade 59 56 25 37 31 18 41 45 Transportation and storage 47 44 15 17 6 17 40 42 Accommodation 49 44 20 25 13 19 36 40 Food and beverage service activities 43 42 18 22 14 15 36 38 Publishing activities 84 78 47 65 48 48 56 59 Motion picture, TV, music prod. 72 64 32 51 28 34 46 46 Programming, broadcasting activities 46 46 21 21 10 17 36 46 Telecommunications 68 64 39 46 35 38 50 57 Computer programming, consultancy 88 82 55 69 48 60 66 68 Information service activities 90 85 51 71 52 62 64 65 Financial and insurance activities 63 59 28 37 13 34 48 50 Head offices, management consult. 75 69 39 51 23 48 51 58 Architecture, engineering act. 66 63 34 47 32 35 47 49 Scientific research and development 94 76 53 66 48 42 61 63 Advertising and market research 64 62 31 38 26 33 46 55 Other professional, scientific and technical activities 67 64 37 55 44 31 45 45 Travel agency, tour operators 83 72 42 42 17 42 72 72 Business support activities 57 42 22 32 12 26 32 33 Explanation of symbolsDownload table as ... - Innovation in the business enterprise sector. By industry and employment groupDownload table as ...Innovation in the business enterprise sector. By industry and employment group
2018-2020 Per cent of all enterprises Innovation activity Product or business process innovation Product and business process innovation Product innovation Product innovation (goods) Product innovation (services) Process innovation (OM3) Business process innovation All industries 63 58 28 38 28 25 45 48 Manufacturing 65 60 29 41 37 16 44 48 Services 66 61 32 43 30 31 47 50 Other services 52 46 13 18 11 13 38 41 Size of enterprise 5-9 persons employed 60 55 28 39 29 25 42 45 10-19 persons employed 69 64 31 43 32 28 48 51 20-49 persons employed 59 54 23 32 22 21 42 46 50-99 persons employed 66 61 27 37 25 23 46 51 100-199 persons employed 71 65 35 47 35 30 50 53 200-499 persons employed 76 70 39 51 33 34 56 58 500 persons employed and more 84 77 56 63 41 50 67 70 Explanation of symbolsDownload table as ...
More figures from this statistics
- 12791: Types of innovation activity, by detailed industry (SIC2007)
- 12792: Types of innovation activity, by main industry (SIC2007) and employment group
- 12793: Who developed the product innovations, by detailed industry (SIC2007)
- 12794: Who developed the product innovations, by main industry (SIC2007) and employment group
- 12795: Product innovation new to the enterprise's market, by detailed industry (SIC2007)
About the statistics
The Innovation Survey provides information about Norwegian enterprises' propensity and ability to introduce new or improved products, processes, organisational practices or marketing methods. It also gives information about the framework conditions for such efforts and about how they are conducted.
The main concepts and terms used in the survey are defined as follows:
Product innovation
A product innovation is the introduction of goods or a service that is new or significantly improved with respect to its characteristics or intended uses. This includes significant improvements in technical specifications, components and materials, incorporated software, user friendliness or other functional characteristics.
Process innovation
A process innovation is the implementation of a new or significantly improved production or delivery method. This includes significant changes in techniques, equipment and/or software.
Organisational innovation
An organisational innovation is the implementation of a new organisational method in the firm’s business practices, workplace organisation or external relations.
Marketing innovation
A marketing innovation is the implementation of a new marketing method involving significant changes in product design or packaging, product placement, product promotion or pricing.
Innovative enterprises
An innovative enterprise is one that has introduced any of the four types of innovation during the observation period. For the 2016 survey this means the introduction of a PP innovation during the three years from 2014-2016. Enterprises that have had ongoing but not completed innovation projects are not included among innovative enterprises. Previously, innovative enterprises often referred only to enterprises with product and/or process innovation (PP-innovation, also called technological innovation). Statistics Norway now strives to make it explicit whether we are referring to all innovators, technological innovators or non-technological innovators.
Innovation activity
An enterprise with innovation activity is an enterprise is either innovative or had innovation projects that were either abandoned or had not yet led to an innovation by the end of the observation period.
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC 2007 from 2008, SIC 2002 up to 2006). The basis for the Norwegian SIC 2007 standard is the EU standard NACE Rev.2 and the UN standard ISIC.
Size class by number of persons employed:
○ 5-9 persons employed
○ 10-19 persons employed
○ 20-49 persons employed
○ 50-99 persons employed
○ 100-199 persons employed
○ 200-499 persons employed
○ 500 and above
Name: Innovation in the business enterprise sector
Topic: Technology and innovation
Division for Business Dynamics Statistics
National level.
Every two years covering an observation period of three years with the latter being the reference year.
Eurostat and the OECD.
Microdata and information on sample units and the population are stored permanently.
The innovation survey is carried through as part of a joint statistic for the European Union (EU) and associated countries. This was initiated in 1992, and the statistics were initially produced every four years. EUROSTAT (EU’s statistical office) has created the contents and framework for the survey, in collaboration with the countries conducting the survey and in consultation with the OECD. Indicators are based methodically on the colloquially named "Oslo manual" which was first published by OECD in 1992.
The Oslo manual was initially concieved for examination of innovation in the manufacturing sector only; hence the first survey only covered this segment of enterprises. It was revised and adjusted to also survey the services sector in 1997. A third revision, now covering a broader range of innovation activities including organisational innovations and marketing innovations was published in 2005. This is the current version of the manual.
The survey is part of Eurostat’s Community Innovation Survey (CIS), which has been developed gradually since the first innovation survey (CIS1), undertaken with 1992 as the reference year. CIS2 was carried through for the year 1997, CIS3 for 2001 and CIS4 for 2004.
Since 2004 the survey has been carried out every two years.
Key users are public administration, the Norwegian Research Council, researchers and business organisations. The survey is important for the evaluation of the innovation policy and the industrial policies in general. The statistics are also used by Eurostat and the OECD for international comparisons.
During the period 1997-2012, the survey was sent out together with the Business enterprise R&D survey. From 2001-2012 both surveys were also included in the same questionnaire.
Some data is not collected in the survey itself but drawn fom other sources. This includes information the enterprises' turnover, number of persons employed, whether or not they belong to an enter prise group as well as information on the education level of the employees.
Sections 2-2 and 2-3 of Act no. 54 of 16 June 1989 relating to official statistics and Statistics Norway.
Decision No. 1608/2003/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the production and development of Community statistics on innovation, and the implementing Commission Regulation No. 995/2012 of 26 October 2012 as regards statistics on science and technology.
The Business Enterprise sector. NACE Rev.2 industries 03, 05-33, 35-39, 41-43, 46, 49-53, 55-56, 58-66, 70-74, 79 and 82 (SN2007).
Coverage is enterprises with at least 5 persons employed. Except in NACE groups F and H (41-43, 49-53) and NACE 56 which only covers enterprises with at least 20 persons employed.
The survey is conducted using the Norwegian Central Register of Establishments and Enterprises (VoF) as a sampling frame and as a source for auxiliary SBS data (employment, turnover, etc.).
The survey is a census of all units within the population with at least 50 persons employed. Among the other units with 5-49 persons employed a random sample is drawn within each stratum (NACE 2-digit and size class). The sample rate is either 35, 15 or 10 per cent, depending on size class and the number of enterprises in the strata. The total number of units in the sample for the 2014-2016 survey was approximately 6500.
The statistical unit is the enterprise. An enterprise is defined as the smallest combination of legal units that is an organisational unit producing goods or services. An enterprise may be a sole legal unit. An enterprise carries out one or more activities at one or more locations and may consist of one or more kind-of-activity units or local kind-of-activity units.
Data collection for the innovation survey is conducted via an electronic questionnaire on the government platform Altinn. A cover letter directing the enterprises to answer along with information about the survey is sent through the same platform 5-6 weeks after the end of the reference year.
All responses undergo on-receipt controls (is the questionnaire filled in, are there any obvious inconsistencies etc). After all the data is made available electronically, more detailed controls are undertaken, including cross referencing with data from the previous survey, financial account information etc.
For units with less than 50 persons employed, the survey is based on a sample of units. Total figures for this part of the survey population are estimated based on the sample units. The estimations are done within each stratum, NACE 2-digit level and size class.
In principle the results are comparable across time and countries. Nevertheless, some national modifications regarding coverage and contents have been made (as they may also have been in other countries). Caution should be applied when comparing the various surveys, both between countries and over time, especially using nationally published results. For the best comparison of data, see results published by Eurostat.
Methodological differences in the data gathering and aggregation of results may also impact comparability between countries significantly. These issues as they relate to the Norwegian survey are discussed in the OECD Statistic Newsletter 1/2014. http://www.oecd.org/std/OECD-Statistics-Newsletter-Jan2014.pdf
Due to the above mentioned methodological changes, data covering the periods 2010-2012 and earlier are not considered to be comparable with later surveys.
The data gathering process for the Norwegian innovations survey has, starting with the present survey covering the period form 2014-2016, transitioned from using an in-house survey platform to using the common government platform Altinn; both for direct communication with the respondents and for supplying the requested data/answering the survey. While the wording of the questions themselves have remained as unaltered as possible, several structural changes in the questionnaire was unavoidable.
In addition, the transition to fully electronic communication with the respondents as well as other aspects of the standardized system may have influenced the response processes in the enterprises. Statistics Norway has observed some trends in the data that are likely to be, at least partially, caused by such issues, but without a baseline for comparison it is difficult to quantify the substantial impact of any such effects.
We would therefore encourage users of the data to show caution when making inferences or drawing conclusions based on these data in comparison with those from the past two surveys, 2011-2013 and 2012-2014.
The concept of innovation may, for some enterprises, be difficult to interpret and distinguish from related activities.
The response rate for the survey is quite high, >95 per cent, and the results should for that reason not be biased by non-respondents. Item non-response has been virtually eliminated due to electronic data gathering.
The population of enterprises is based upon the Central Register of Establishments and Enterprises. The sample is stratified by NACE 2-digit and number of persons employed. Incomplete updating of these variables and entries and exits of enterprises may cause errors in the survey.
Due to the CIS being in part a sample survey, an inherent statistical uncertainty (model error) applies to the results. The uncertainty attached to the size groups containing the smaller enterprises is greater than for the larger enterprises. Comparisons over time for the detailed industry breakdowns should also be made with some caution, especially for industries with relatively few enterprises in the population.
