Innovation
Innovation refers to the launch of a new or significantly improved product or service or the introduction of a new business process. The aim of innovation is to create value and gain a competitive advantage, which will benefit the enterprise’s development and increase productivity, simultaneously contributing to economic growth.
Product or process innovation can involve the application of new technological solutions, a new combination of existing technologies or the application of the knowledge available to the enterprise. However, innovation may not always result in the launch of a new product or service or improvement of a completed production process. Innovation activities may also be abandoned before the end result is achieved.
Innovation statistics provide information on
- how many Estonian enterprises are engaged in innovation;
- what kind of innovation is pursued by enterprises;
- what is the strategy of enterprises in innovation development, use of resources and innovation cooperation.
On the basis of innovation statistics, it is possible to analyse economic development trends, make decisions affecting the society and formulate innovation policy. The data are collected through the innovation survey of enterprises and allow comparing Estonian enterprises and their innovativeness with other European Union and OECD countries.
Enterprises by type of innovativeness, 2022
| Industry | Service activities | |
|---|---|---|
| Innovative enterprises | 1,100 | 952 |
| Product innovative enterprises only | 148 | 126 |
| Process innovative enterprises only | 433 | 362 |
| Product and process innovative enterprises | 461 | 429 |
| Enterprises with abandoned/suspended and on-going innovation activities | 587 | 514 |
| Innovation active enterprises – old definition | 1,071 | 916 |
| Non-innovative enterprises | 840 | 967 |
Enterprises by type of co-operation, 2022
| Any type of co-operation | 1,423 |
|---|---|
| On other innovation activities (excluding R&D) | 663 |
| On R&D | 494 |
| On any other business activity | 1,182 |
Enterprises by type of process innovation, 2022
| Industry | Service activities | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Process innovative enterprises | 894 | 790 | 1,684 |
| New or improved methods for producing goods or providing services (including developing) | 654 | 491 | 1,146 |
| New or improved logistics, delivery or distribution methods | 251 | 272 | 524 |
| New or improved methods for information processing or communication | 314 | 448 | 762 |
| New methods for accounting or other administrative operations | 285 | 307 | 591 |
| New business practices for organising procedures or external relations | 269 | 328 | 598 |
| New methods of organising work responsibility, decision making or human resource management | 421 | 487 | 909 |
| New marketing methods for promotion, packaging, pricing, product placement or after sales services | 319 | 347 | 666 |
Enterprises by type of product innovation, 2022
| Industry | Service activities | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product innovative enterprises | 608 | 554 | 1,163 |
| New goods | 390 | 171 | 561 |
| Improved goods | 475 | 196 | 671 |
| New services | 176 | 321 | 497 |
| Improved services | 249 | 475 | 723 |