The November 2023 data release focuses on business innovation activities spanning from 2018 to 2020 across 42 economies including most OECD and EU countries. It provides for the first-time indicators of innovations with environmental benefits and documents the apparent resilience of business innovation at the outset of the COVID-19 crisis.
In addition, as in the previous edition, this round reports indicators based on data collected under Oslo Manual guidelines, and incorporates a module of core innovation indicators at the industry level, describing how innovation varies not only across countries but also across industries.
Data are updated every two years. Results released in the November 2023 edition exhibit a high degree of international comparability owing, for example, to an increasing number of countries using standalone innovation surveys as opposed to collecting data on innovation from firms being primarily asked to report their R&D activity. Despite a gradual process of harmonisation based on the Oslo Manual and its periodic updates, national innovation surveys still exhibit some significant differences in design and implementation methodology. Results can be influenced by idiosyncratic national choices such as the sequencing and wording of questions, the filtering of firms throughout the questionnaire as well as aspects such as the choice of the target population, the length of the reference period, and data collection and processing methods.