166/2010 - 10 November 2010

Sixth Community Innovation Survey

More than half of EU27 enterprises are innovative
One in nine innovative enterprises cooperate with European partners

In the EU27, 52% of enterprises1 from industry and services reported innovation activity2 between 2006 and 2008.
Among the EU27 Member States, the highest proportions of enterprises with innovation activity in this period were
recorded in Germany (80% of enterprises), Luxembourg (65%), Belgium and Portugal (both 58%) and Ireland
(57%). The lowest rates were observed in Latvia (24%), Poland (28%), Hungary (29%), Lithuania (30%) and
Bulgaria (31%).

This information, which comes from the Community Innovation Survey 2008, covering the EU27 Member States,
Norway and Croatia, is published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. The survey contains
a broad set of indicators on innovation activities of enterprises and provides for the first time information on
innovation with environmental benefits.

A third of innovative enterprises cooperate with external partners

Among enterprises with innovation activities in the EU27, 34% cooperated3 with other enterprises, universities or
public research institutes in 2006-2008, while the remaining 66% innovated using only internal resources. The
highest proportions of innovation co-operation were found in Denmark (57% of all innovative enterprises), Cyprus
(51%), Belgium and Estonia (both 49%), and the lowest in Romania (14%), Italy (16%), Bulgaria and Latvia
(both 17%).
In the EU27, 11% of innovative enterprises had innovation cooperation with a partner in another EU27 Member
State, EFTA or candidate country4, 3% with a partner in the United States and 2% with a partner in India or China.
Innovation cooperation with a European partner was highest in Slovenia (35% of all innovative enterprises),
Estonia (33%), Belgium (30%), Luxembourg (28%), Finland and Slovakia (both 26%), and lowest in Spain and
Italy (both 4%), Bulgaria and Ireland (both 6%) and Germany (7%).
For cooperation with partners in the United States, Sweden and Finland (both 11%), Belgium and Luxembourg
(both 9%) had the largest shares. Sweden and Finland (both 7%) and Belgium (6%) had also the highest shares
of cooperation with partners in India or China.
 Innovation activity and co-operation during 2006-2008
All types of co- Co-operation partners*:
operation From another EU27
Enterprises with with other Member State, From the United From China or
innovation activity, enterprises or EFTA or Candidate States India
% of all enterprises institutions country4
3
% of all innovative enterprises
EU27 51.6 34.2 11.2 3.2 1.8
Belgium 58.1 48.8 29.5 9.4 5.8
Bulgaria 30.8 16.6 5.6 1.1 0.5
Czech Republic 56.0 32.9 19.8 2.8 2.0
Denmark 51.9 56.8 : : :
Germany 79.9 20.7 7.2 2.4 1.3
Estonia 56.4 48.6 33.3 2.7 1.4
Ireland 56.5 24.1 5.6 2.5 2.8
Greece : : : : :
Spain 43.5 18.7 4.4 1.0 0.4
France 50.2 42.4 15.9 5.2 2.4
Italy 53.2 16.2 4.4 1.3 0.8
Cyprus 56.1 51.4 24.9 3.6 3.2
Latvia 24.3 16.6 12.0 1.2 0.1
Lithuania 30.3 38.7 19.9 4.5 2.6
Luxembourg 64.7 30.1 27.9 8.7 3.7
Hungary 28.9 41.3 16.7 3.1 2.7
Malta 37.4 19.8 15.7 3.1 2.0
Netherlands 44.9 40.2 21.1 7.4 3.1
Austria 56.2 38.8 23.9 3.1 1.8
Poland 27.9 39.3 18.8 4.2 2.0
Portugal 57.8 28.4 11.8 1.8 1.1
Romania 33.3 13.8 7.6 1.4 0.8
Slovenia 50.3 48.0 35.0 6.6 4.1
Slovakia 36.1 32.2 25.8 4.0 3.5
Finland 52.2 36.9 26.4 11.1 6.7
Sweden 53.7 39.9 24.8 11.2 7.3
United Kingdom 45.6 : : : :
Norway 49.2 35.1 16.1 4.3 2.2
Croatia 44.2 38.1 13.5 2.3 1.1
EU27 aggregate based upon available Member States
* Cooperation can take place with more than one partner. This breakdown by country is not a mandatory element of the survey.
: Data not available

1. The enterprises surveyed belong to the following sectors of industry and services: Mining and quarrying; Manufacturing;
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply; Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities;
Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles; Transportation and storage; Publishing activities;
Telecommunications; Computer programming, consultancy and related activities; Information service activities; Financial
and insurance activities; Architectural and engineering activities, technical testing and analysis.
2. The Community Innovation Survey (CIS) 2008 is a survey of innovation activities of enterprises in EU Member States.
The survey collects information about product and process innovation as well as organisational and marketing
innovation and other key variables during the three-year period 2006 to 2008 inclusive. Most questions cover new or
significantly improved goods or services or the implementation of new or significantly improved processes, logistics or
distribution methods. It produces a broad set of indicators on innovation activities, innovation expenditure, public funding,
sources of information for innovation, innovation co-operation, innovation objectives, organisational and marketing
innovation and on innovation with environmental benefits.
The CIS will form an important input into the European Commission Research and Innovation Union Scoreboard, providing 6
of the 25 proposed indicators on innovation. The Research and Innovation Scoreboard is proposed by the European
Commission under the Innovation Union flagship initiative within the EU2020 strategy. For more information:
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/10/1288&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage
=en
3. Innovation co-operation measures the active partnership of the observed enterprise with other enterprises or non-
commercial institutions such as universities or public research institutes, at national or international level. Co-operation can
take place with more than one partner. Concerns enterprises with product and process innovations (regardless of their
organisational or marketing innovations).
4. Includes the EU27 Member States: Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece,
Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom; EFTA countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway
and Switzerland; and Candidate countries: Croatia, the Former Yugoslavian republic of Macedonia and Turkey.

Issued by: Eurostat Press Office For further information on data:

Louise CORSELLI-NORDBLAD Sergiu PARVAN

Tel: +352-4301-33 444 Tel: +352-4301-34 158
eurostat-pressoffice@ec.europa.eu sergiu-valentin.parvan@ec.europa.eu

Veijo RITOLA
Eurostat news releases on the internet: Tel: +352-4301-35 560
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat veijo-ismo.ritola@ec.europa.eu