Flash Eurobarometer 267 (Innobarometer 2009)

Innovations in European companies.<br>Topics: 1. Innovations and strategy: investment in the following activities to support innovation since 2006: research and development within the company, research and development performed by other companies for own enterprise, acquisition of new or significantly improved equipment, purchase or licencing of patents or other know-how, training to support innovative activities, design, application for patents or registration of designs; development of investments dedicated to innovation in the aforementioned fields in the last two years; share of total turnover in 2008 invested in innovation activities; development of the percentage of investment dedicated to innovation in the last two years; impact of economic downturn on investment in innovation in the last six months; planned development of the percentage of investment dedicated to innovation in the next twelve months; introduction since 2006, of new or significantly improved: products, services, processes, marketing strategies, organisational methods; importance of innovative goods or services with regard to total sales in 2008.

2. Public procurement: activities of the company regarding public procurement contracts since 2006: won at least one contract, submission of at least one tender without success, investigation of opportunities without submitting a tender, never submitted a tender or investigated opportunities; inclusion of the possibility to sell innovations in public procurement tenders; importance of cost and of innovation with regard to winning a tender.

3. Strategic trends: promotion of selected initiatives to support innovation activities in the own company since 2006: knowledge management systems, internal mechanisms for employees to submit innovative ideas, staff rotation between different functions, creation of cross-functional or cross-departmental teams on innovative projects; promotion of selected international activities to support innovation in the own company since 2006: outsourcing of tasks to companies located in other countries, investments in companies located in other countries, other cooperation with companies located in other countries, recruitment of employees from other countries on a permanent or on a temporary basis, market-testing of innovative products in other countries; main location of the aforementioned activities: EU countries and Norway or Switzerland, North America, Asia, other countries; use of the following methods to support innovation since 2006: create or participate in internet-based discussion forums, free access to test products or services to potential users, involve potential users in in-house innovation activities, share or exchange intellectual property; development of strategic relationships to support innovation since 2006 to: specific customers or clients, suppliers, other companies in the own field of activity, research institutes, educational institutions; inclusion of the following competences in the company’s training and recruitment activities since 2006: team working capacity, negotiation skills, intercultural communication skills, general communication skills, creativity.

4. Impact of political and economic framework conditions: location of most demanding customers in: own country, EU countries and Norway or Switzerland, other countries, no notable difference; impact of significant changes in selected policy-related areas on the company’s innovation activities: changes in tax environment, changes in public financial support, new environmental requirements and standards, industry or other regulation requirements, services provided by intermediaries; impact of the following factors on the company’s innovation activities: new opportunities of collaboration with universities and research institutes, new technologies, increased pressure from competitors, new markets, new demands from public sector clients, new demands from commercial clients; company’s main competitive advantage; most important trend to promote innovation.

Demography: information about the company: company size, company sector, number of employees, year of company establishment; activities of the company in the following locations: own region, own country, EU countries and Norway or Switzerland, outside the EU; development of turnover in the last two years.

Additionally coded was: respondent ID; language of the interview; interviewer ID; country; date of interview; time of the beginning of the interview; duration of the interview; call history; NACE-Code; weighting factor.