Finland Times

 

Enterprises with innovation activity 2006 to 2012, share of enterprises. Source: Statistics Finland.

The prevalence of innovation activities in enterprises including in manufacturing, marketing and service providing has remained almost unchanged in the last few years.

 

According to Statistics Finland's preliminary data, enterprises reported innovation activity in 2010 to 2012 almost as frequently as in the years preceding the period. 

 

Around 45 per cent of the surveyed enterprises had undertaken activities related to product and process innovations, while in the previous surveys between 2006 and 2008, and between 2008 and 2010, the corresponding shares were 47 and 46 per cent.

 

In manufacturing, innovation activity related to products and processes, as well as launching product innovations in the market, was from 2010 to 2012 most widespread in the manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products. 

 

In services, innovation activity similarly as product innovations were most commonly reported in the industry of telecommunications.

 

Nearly 40 per cent of enterprises had introduced innovations related to organisations and marketing between 2010 and 2012 in both manufacturing and service industries.

 

For the first time, the survey inquired about public procurement contracts and innovation activities related to the implementation of procurement contracts.

 

In all, 30 per cent of enterprises had procurement contracts with domestic public sector organisations and five per cent with foreign public sector organisations. 

 

However, only in a few cases, innovation activity was linked to the implementation of procurement contracts. A few per cent of all enterprises (eight per cent of enterprises with procurement contracts) undertook innovation activity as part of a procurement contract with innovations being required in the contract. 

 

Five per cent of enterprises (16 per cent of those with contracts) reported innovation activity related to the implementation of procurement contracts, although innovation was not required as part of the contract.

 

The survey results will be published in their entirety in June.