Data extracted in November 2024
Planned article update: 29 November 2026
Highlights
More than half of the enterprises in the EU had innovation activities during the years 2020–2022.
During the years 2020–2022, 9% of the enterprises in the EU introduced innovations that reduced their energy use or CO2 footprint.
Share of innovation-active enterprises, 2020-2022
TheCommunity innovation survey (CIS) informs about innovation in enterprises in the EU every two years. It is the refence information source for business analysts and policymakers since it covers a wide range of aspects of the innovation process undertaken by European enterprises. The CIS survey underwent a significant restructuring following the adoption of the Oslo Manual in 2018. More information about the nature and objectives of the changes can be found in the background article: Community Innovation Survey - design improvement in 2018. This short article presents a brief overview of the survey results for the reference period 2020-2022 (CIS 2022). The complete dataset is available in the section Science, Technology and Innovation.
Innovation activity in the European Countries
More than half of the enterprises in the EU countries reported that they had innovation activities (51.4 %) during the reference period 2020–2022[1]. Figure 1 provides the share of innovation-active enterprises by country. Among the EU countries, the highest proportions of innovation-active enterprises were observed in Belgium (70.3 % of all enterprises) and Greece (65.5 %), while Germany, Italy and Finland also recorded proportions above 60%. The lowest share of innovation activity was recorded in Romania (8.8 %).
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Types of innovation introduced
The CIS covers product and process innovations of business enterprises, as well as the activities that lead to them. The following definitions apply:
A product innovation is a new or improved good or service that differs significantly from the goods or services previously introduced by the firm. A business process innovation is a new or improved business process for one or more business functions that differs significantly from the firm’s previous business processes and that has been brought into use by the firm. The characteristics of an improved business function include greater efficacy, resource efficiency, reliability and resilience, affordability, and convenience and usability for those involved in the business process, either external or internal to the firm. Business process innovations are implemented when they are brought into use by the firm in its internal or outward-facing operations.
Innovations with environmental benefits
The CIS also provides information about enterprises' innovations that have environmental benefits. An innovation with environmental benefits is a new or improved product or process of an enterprise that reduces negative environmental impacts, compared to the enterprise’s previous products or processes, and that has been made available to potential users or brought into use. An environmental benefit can be the primary objective of the innovation or a side effect of other objectives. It can happen at different places: the CIS provides data about environmental benefits that occur when the goods it produces are consumed. Moreover, it reports about environmental benefits that occur during the production process within the enterprise. Of the environmental benefits which are generated within the enterprises themselves, the three most common are in terms of reduced energy use or CO2 footprint; recycled waste, water, or materials for own use or sale; and replaced fossil energy with renewable energy sources. 9.2% of EU enterprises had innovations involving a significant environmental benefit in terms of reduced energy use or CO2 footprint. Recycled waste, water, or materials for own use or sale as a result of the introduced innovations were realised in 6.2% of the EU enterprises. 5.6% of the enterprises in the EU introduced innovations that helped to replace fossil energy with renewable energy sources.
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Source: Eurostat (inn_cis13_eco)
Source data for tables and graphs
Data sources
The CIS provides information about the main concepts of business innovation, such as the presence (or absence) of innovation activities or innovation capabilities, implemented innovations, and essential non-monetary characteristics linked to the enterprises’ market environment and strategies — all broken down by employment size, economic activity, and geographical location of the enterprises.
The innovation survey was first launched in the 1990s and became a regular biennial data collection starting from CIS4 (2004) in the EU Member States, EFTA countries and EU candidate countries. Since its launch, the survey was based on the methodology laid down in the Oslo Manual — international standards for conceptualising and collecting data on innovation. The first Oslo Manual was published in 1992. It has been revised on three occasions to take into account the experience and to expand its measurement framework — in 1997, 2005 and in 2018. The CIS 2018 was the first data collection after the review of the Oslo Manual in 2018, 4th edition.
For each survey round, Eurostat together with the countries develops a standard core questionnaire – the Harmonised Data Collection (HDC) – listing the mandatory and rotational questions to be provided within a given round. The questionnaire includes the set of definitions and methodological recommendations to ensure comparability among countries. Eurostat provides an overview of all variables used in any CIS rounds since 1992 in its 'Living Library'. This service is used, e.g., by data professionals, researchers, academia and designers of innovation surveys. The 'Living Library' allows browsing by themes, such as innovation topics or questions, as well as questionnaires (survey rounds). It also provides an overview matrix that relates one to the other.
Starting from this round (CIS 2022), data are collected according to the new European Business Statistics (EBS) framework, as defined in the European Business Statistics Regulation 2019/2152 and the General Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1197. Regulation (EU) 2022/1092 specifies technical issues needed to report about business innovation in the EU in a way that makes the results comparable between its Member States. This legal framework defines the mandatory target population of the survey referring to enterprises with at least 10 persons employed in the listed NACE categories. 'Person employed' is used as a size class unit in order to comply with the latest measurement standards in European business statistics and recommendations of the Oslo Manual, 4th edition. The following questions were new in CIS 2022:
- Reasons for not having more innovation activities or reasons for not having any innovation activities at all, depending on the innovation status of the enterprises (mandatory question).
- Fundamental changes to the business model of the enterprise (optional question).
Most statistics in CIS 2022 are based on the 3-year reference period 2020-2022, but some use only one calendar year (2022).
Context
Within the statistical information system on science, technology and innovation, business innovation statistics represent a crucial piece of knowledge to support and monitor EU policies. In the Innovation Union flagship initiative, the European innovation scoreboard 2024 - European Commission European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) provides a comparative analysis of innovation performance in EU countries, other European countries, and regional neighbours. It helps countries assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of their national innovation systems and identify challenges that they need to address. The regional innovation scoreboard (RIS) is a regional extension Regional Innovation Scoreboard is relevant for assessing the innovation performance across 239 regions of 22 EU countries Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg and Malta are included at the country level using a limited number of indicators.
Data on business innovation are a basis for the Commission's report Science, Research and Innovation Performance of the EU (SRIP). The report analyses research and innovation dynamics as well as Europe's innovation performance and its drivers and formulates recommendations for the future.
Under the European Green Deal it is crucial to trace the technological change that the green economy transition will determine in the medium to long term. This is why the CIS 2022 contains information on the environmental and climate change aspects. The survey included questions on whether the businesses introduced innovations with environmental benefits, how important factors related to climate change were to them, and which factors influenced their decisions to introduce innovations with environmental benefits. The provided data on innovations with environmental benefits and data on the perceived relevance of climate change for businesses will help to support related policymaking.
Notes
- ↑ The types of activities included are: Successfully introduced product or business process innovation; Completed innovation activities that have not yet resulted in the implementation of an innovation; on-going innovation activities, with work in progress that has not yet resulted in the implementation of an innovation; abandoned innovation activities before the implementation of an innovation; any R&D activity.
Explore further
Other articles
Database
- Science and technology (scitech), see Community innovation survey (inn)/ Community innovation survey 2022 (CIS2022) (inn_cis13)
Thematic section
Selected datasets
- Science and technology (t_scitech), see:Community innovation survey (inn)