Description: The data set comprises the raw data from the 757 valid completed Innovation Survey questionnaires from the 757 private sector business enterprises plus the weightings for each cell defined by one of four size classes and Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) sub-sector. Abstract: Innovation Surveys are currently designed to measure the extent of innovative activity in the industry and service sectors of the economy and are based on the guidelines of the OECD/Eurostat Oslo Manual and the core EU Community Innovation Survey (CIS) but are usually adapted by countries to meet particular country needs or conditions.

Innovation Surveys are a source of data for developing policies to enhance innovation. The South African Innovation Survey follows the international OECD/Eurostat guidelines and methodology and is based on the core CIS with modifications and a few particular questions for the South African environment. Following international methodology allows the results of the South African Innovation Survey to be usefully compared with the results from other countries. The National innovation survey 2008 collected primary data from the business sector.

Although some general organisational information was collected, the survey focussed on product and process innovation.

Some of the indicators collected included the following:

Share of firms that introduced a product innovation

Share of firms that introduced a process innovation

Share of firms that introduced a new-to-market product innovation

Sources of information for innovation

Total expenditures on innovation [as a % of total turnover]

Factors hampering innovation in firms

Share of (innovation active) firms that co-operated with foreign partners on innovation

Share of (innovation active) firms that received public financial support for innovation

Innovation Surveys are based on a random stratified sample of business enterprises from the national business register (or equivalent) and results are extrapolated to the original population. The South African Innovation Survey 2008 was based on a random stratified sample of 4 000 enterprises obtained from the Statistics South Africa business register. After cleaning the remaining entries in the database totaled 2 836 valid enterprises and after two postal rounds and telephonic and e-mail follow ups and reminders a final response of 757 completed questionnaires was obtained giving an response rate of 26.7%.

The key users of the data and findings include government departments, especially the DST and the OECD.

Ad hoc requests for data are also accommodated and inform academic papers, reports and outputs.

Educational measurements

Postal survey

Telephone interview

By Standard Industrial Code (SIC) (see document Universe_SIC - Innovation Survey 2008)

Please see attached sampling frame and sample design from Stats SA (see attached documents with filenames: 6.21a Sample specifications for the South African Innovation Survey 2008 and 6.12b Stats SA sampling report)