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Statistics on
Innovation in the business enterprise sector
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.
Selected figures from these statistics
- Business enterprise innovationDownload table as ...Business enterprise innovation
2022-2024 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 60 57 32 49 40 74 579 776 Manufacturing 63 59 37 48 43 18 480 422 Services 62 59 36 51 40 45 229 668 Other services 49 45 14 42 35 10 869 686 Size class 5-9 persons employed 61 57 33 49 42 6 923 791 10-19 persons employed 63 60 38 53 42 9 136 414 20-49 persons employed 54 51 25 45 32 12 819 150 50-99 persons employed 62 57 30 49 37 8 526 604 100-199 persons employed 68 62 37 52 44 7 692 353 200-499 persons employed 72 66 45 58 58 8 613 289 500 persons employed and more 81 76 56 69 70 20 868 174 Explanation of symbolsDownload table as ... - Innovation activity by detailed industryDownload table as ...Innovation activity by detailed industry
2022-2024 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 60 57 25 32 25 22 44 49 Fishing and aquaculture 62 54 17 19 18 15 47 52 Mining and cuarrying 51 40 17 25 21 13 32 33 Food products 62 60 27 43 41 11 41 44 Beverages 76 76 43 53 49 16 50 66 Textiles 66 64 29 49 48 15 39 44 Wearing apparel 50 47 21 28 25 5 39 41 Leather and leather products 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Wood and wood products 62 58 19 24 24 5 46 53 Paper and paper products 73 55 41 50 46 14 41 46 Printing and reproduction 52 47 25 26 25 17 46 46 Refined petroleum products, chemicals and chemical products 85 78 34 55 54 20 49 57 Pharmaceuticals 77 65 36 47 47 24 47 53 Rubber and plastic products 79 78 41 56 52 27 55 63 Other non-metal mineral products 69 58 21 32 29 11 40 47 Basic metals 75 59 25 27 27 7 53 57 Fabricated metal prod. 55 54 19 26 23 14 44 47 Electronic and optical products 84 74 43 60 59 26 57 57 Electrical equipment 74 67 28 42 35 17 50 53 Machinery and equipment 76 73 37 61 59 32 47 49 Motor vehicles etc. 61 59 29 42 42 7 33 46 Other transport equipment 65 58 16 26 22 17 41 48 Furniture 65 62 28 49 49 12 41 42 Other manufacturing 77 66 28 44 44 23 50 51 Repair, installation of machinery 48 44 16 19 15 9 39 41 Electricity and gas supply 80 73 18 26 12 25 60 65 Water supply, sewerage and waste 57 55 20 24 14 19 48 52 Construction 42 40 7 9 5 6 32 38 Wholesale trade 58 56 26 34 29 17 42 47 Transportation and storage 44 43 11 13 3 13 37 40 Accommodation 49 47 13 17 11 11 36 44 Food and beverage service activities 41 40 10 14 10 8 31 37 Publishing activities 73 70 48 56 41 50 60 63 Motion picture, TV, music prod. 54 43 11 17 10 9 24 38 Programming, broadcasting activities 58 52 21 28 7 24 35 45 Telecommunications 66 60 24 33 24 26 40 51 Computer programming, consultancy 84 79 51 63 46 56 61 67 Information service activities 85 83 58 74 47 63 66 67 Financial and insurance activities 67 63 28 32 16 28 57 59 Head offices, management consult. 65 62 27 32 15 28 55 57 Architecture, engineering act. 61 54 28 34 24 27 42 48 Scientific research and development 92 74 50 59 51 36 60 65 Advertising and market research 64 61 30 38 20 34 51 53 Other professional, scientific and technical activities 71 67 36 44 34 38 53 59 Travel agency, tour operators 60 60 16 32 17 31 40 43 Business support activities 69 66 28 41 28 35 43 52 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
2022-2024 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 60 57 25 32 25 22 44 49 Manufacturing 63 59 25 37 34 14 44 48 Services 62 59 28 36 26 27 46 51 Other services 49 45 11 14 9 10 37 42 Size of enterprise 5-9 persons employed 61 57 25 33 27 22 44 49 10-19 persons employed 63 60 31 38 29 26 48 53 20-49 persons employed 54 51 19 25 18 17 39 45 50-99 persons employed 62 57 22 30 22 18 44 49 100-199 persons employed 68 62 26 37 26 23 47 52 200-499 persons employed 72 66 37 45 35 31 53 58 500 persons employed and more 81 76 49 56 38 45 65 69 Explanation of symbolsDownload table as ...
About the statistics
The information under «About the statistics» was last updated 1 July 2021.
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.