Metrics to better understand Innovation Performance: New approaches to measuring innovation

Submitted by Administrator on 9 February, 2010 - 10:35

Jul 5 2007

Event Date:

5 July, 2007 - 02:00 - 6 July, 2007 - 02:00

Venue:

Ispra

Location: Hosted by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Unit of Econometric and Statistical Support of the Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen, Ispra, Italy

From 5 to 6 July 2007 the INNO-Views Workshop on “Metrics to better understand innovation performance” was held in Ispra, Italy, with about 40 participants, ranging from policy-makers over experts from universities and research to representatives from international institutions.

The workshop aimed at a clearer understanding of the possibilities and limitations of existing data on innovation and of the way to follow to complement the existing indicator base.

Main questions addressed during the workshop focused on:

how to get a better grasp on innovation policy by intelligently combining traditional and novel innovation performance indicators,
which are the areas of innovative performance that are not properly covered with existing indicators or where indicators have limitations and
which are the areas of innovative performance where indicators are currently being developed or new approaches considered?

Measuring innovation performance with CIS and other data sources

The need to have sound indicators on knowledge creation and diffusion and their innovative application in economic activity has been commanding substantial efforts in data collection and interpretation in recent years. The nature of innovative activity is constantly changing and this only compounds the difficulty to base policies on meaningful and reliable indicators.

At European level, the recently released Community Innovation Survey 4 data is the main source of information to study innovation drivers and company behaviour towards innovation. Analyses of these data populate the European Innovation Scoreboard 2006, but may still offer much greater scope for analysis and exploitation.

Prospects, challenges and development trends of ongoing indicator work have been discussed during the first session of the workshop.

Understanding the influences to (input) and impact of (output) innovation performance

Session 2 addressed the relationship between innovation performance, sectoral specialisation patterns and other macroeconomic conditions. Speakers analysed the relationship between national, sectoral, cluster and firm specific factors in the innovation process, as well as the relationship between education and innovation.

The impact of policies on innovation performance, efficiency of measures and relations between innovation performance and governance indicators were discussed in session 3.

Smart use of innovation performance indicators

The final session focused on innovation performance beyond macroeconomics, looking at further variables, able to cover “hidden innovation”, non R&D firms and organisational innovation.

In a closing discussion suggestions and recommendations regarding collection of data, presentation of indicators and improved innovation governance were drafted in a summarising mind map.