Recent results in measuring innovation output

Abstract

The Fraunhofer-Institut für Systemtechnik und Innovationsforschung (ISI) is at present engaged in evaluating a number of technology policy programs designed to promote research, development and innovation in small and medium-sized firms. These studies try to determine the extent to which these programmes have an impact upon the innovative activities of firms. In this connection, it was also attempted to measure the innovation output. The level of innovation of a firm is innovation ouput. The level of innovation of a firm is procedure involves a number of problems (self-assessment of firms in view of insufficient market transparency, distortion due to self-portraits reflecting the firms' own interests). We tried to mitigate such distortions by two approaches. Firstly, firms were asked for their technologically new products, the term “new” being applied (a) to the firm and (b) to the areas of product application. As a result of this two-tier procedure, firms supplied rather realistic answers. Secondly, supplementary questions were asked about sales figures, the competitive technological situation (nationally and internationally), expenditure on R&D, patents, stages of innovation, aims of innovation, etc. The paper presents the results obtained to date on the innovation output of firms within the framework of an evaluation of the largest programme at present devoted to promoting R&D and innovation in small and medium-sized firms . The results are based on a representative sample of approximately 4,500 small and medium-sized firms (up to 1,00 employees) with R&D activities in the Federal Republic of Germany.