SURVEY RESULTS: INNOVATION IN CYPRIOT ENTERPRISES 2000 - 2002

On the basis of the results of the Innovation Survey carried out by the Statistical Service among enterprises with 10 or more employees, 48,4% of enterprises had some form of innovation activity during the period 2000-2002. Among industrial enterprises, this proportion stood at 50,6% compared to 46,1% in the services sector. These figures can be favourably compared with the corresponding proportions for the 15 EU Member States in the period 1998-2000, which were 44% for the total, 47% for industry and 40% for services. With regard to the size-class breakdown, the larger the enterprise the more likely it was to have had some form of innovation activity during the enterprises with 50-249 employees and 90,6% for enterprises with 250 and more employees. According to 43,3% of all enterprises with innovation activity, innovation had a high impact on improving their production flexibility. About 39,3% reported a high impact on increasing their production capacity, 38,0% on improving the quality of their goods and services, 21,4% on increasing the range of their goods or services, 16,9% on increasing their market share and 13,0% on reducing labour costs per unit produced. Among enterprises with no innovation activity, the main hampering factors declared as having a high degree of impact on innovation were the high costs (24,1%), the excessive perceived economic risks (17,9%), the lack of appropriate sources of finance (10,6%), the lack of qualified personnel (9,6%), organisational rigidities within the enterprise (6,1%) and others. Additional information on the subject can be downloaded from the web site of the Statistical Service.

STATISTICAL SUBTHEME: INNOVATION