IP Outreach Research > IP Creation
Reference
| Title: | Innovative establishments in ICT service industries |
| Author: | Heidi Ertl and Frances Anderson [Statistics Canada] |
| Source: | Innovation Analysis Bulletin 9, no. 1: 7-9 |
| Year: | 2007 |
Details
| Subject/Type: | Innovation |
| Focus: | Barriers, Success Factors |
| Country/Territory: | Canada |
| Objective: | To examine some important dimensions of innovation in Canada’s information and communication technologies service industries, including the propensity to innovate, types of innovations and innovators, success factors, problems, obstacles and barriers, skilled workers, exports, and intellectual property (IP) commercialisation. |
| Sample: | Establishments in information and communications technologies service industries |
| Methodology: | Mail questionnaire |
Main Findings
Between 2001 and 2003, more than three quarters (78%) of information and telecommunications technologies (ICT) service businesses were engaged in some form of innovative activity. Success factors cited by innovators in the ICT service industries include "implementing new ICTs" (76%, versus 51% of non-innovators) and "a value system or culture promoting knowledge sharing" (67%, versus 42% of non-innovators); contrary to non-innovators, innovators considered "geographical proximity to clients and suppliers" as less important.
Reasons given for not conducting innovative activities are: "having carried out innovative activities prior to the survey's reference period 2001-2003" (just over one third of non-innovators), followed by "no market demand" (31%), "lack of funds" (31%), and "lack of trained staff" (13%). Problems and obstacles to innovation reported by innovators are: "risk in terms of innovation's market success (50% of innovators), "innovation costs too high" (44%), "lack of appropriate sources of finance" (39%), and "risk related to the feasibility of innovative projects" (37%).
Three quarters of innovative firms in the ICT service sector had research and development personnel, compared just 29% of non-innovators. Similarly, a higher proportion of innovators than non-innovators had more than 25% of their employees graduated from universities. Overall, ICT innovators are also more likely to export than their non-innovative counterparts.
[Date Added: Aug 18, 2008 ]