surveying local innovation. coventry and beyond
TRANSCRIPT
UK Innovation Survey (UKIS)
Background • Company based survey of innovation, R&D with
some performance data
• Conducted every 2 years with a 3 year reference period – e.g. innovation over the last three years. Part of EU survey. Available since 2002
• Sample structured by region, industry and sizeband and weighted, 10 plus employees
• Around 14,000 observations in each wave.
• Some overlap between surveys (c. 1000) provides longitudinal data
• LEP level analysis is possible but requires new weighting structure and for smaller LEPs coverage may be limited
• Coverage beyond innovation type measures is limited so deep but narrow
Coverage • R&D and other investments in
innovation e.g. design, IT, training
• Intellectual property protection, e.g. patents trademarks
• Innovation – products, services, organisation, new to the firm and new to the market.
• Cooperation and barriers
• Performance – turnover, employment and exports
Percentage of firms introducing new products or services
Legend
12.00 - 17.00
17.01 - 19.00
19.01 - 24.00
24.01 - 27.00
• UK Innovation survey provides information on the percentage of firms introducing new products or services
• Red the lowest quartile of LEPS, green the highest quartile
• Source: UK Innovation Survey 2013, ERC analysis.
Data on Midlands innovation in the UKIS 2013
Observations
Gloucestershire 154
Leicester and Leicestershire 232
Black Country 253
Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, 383
Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire 203
Greater Birmingham and Solihull 303
Coventry and Warwickshire 194
Greater Lincolnshire 187
Worcestershire 137
The Marches 148
Total 2194
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A focus on Coventry…
With thanks to Dawn Eubanks and Tamara Friedrich
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So how does innovation work in Coventry?
• In July 2016 conducted a detailed local telephone survey of innovation in City of Coventry
• Part of the preparations for City of Culture bid
• 349 respondent firms from all sectors with 5+employees – around 1:5 of all firms
Percentage of innovating firms
5-20 20-49 50 plus All firms
N=225 N=78 N=45 N=349
Product or
service
innovation 50.6 47.2 60.6 51.1
New to the
market
innovation 16.4 22.8 30.0 18.6
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The sample (% ages)5-20 20-49 50 plus All firms
A. Sectoral structure
Production sectors (A-F) 16.9 22.5 12.2 17.2
Retail and logistics (G-I) 39.6 24.4 15.0 35.1
Other services (J-S) 43.5 53.1 72.8 47.7
A. Business Characteristics
Single site companies 79.0 66.7 38.7 73.3
Group companies 21.0 33.3 61.3 26.7
Firm age (years) 17.2 19.0 19.9 17.7
Exporters 22.2 24.0 26.5 22.9
Employees with degree 21.9 22.1 27.7 22.5
C. Type of customers
Business customers 68.6 70.9 72.8 69.3
Individual customers 78.3 75.8 62.3 76.4
Third sector customers 39.4 41.6 44.1 40.2
Public sector customers 68.5 66.1 68.3 68.2
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Key barriers to innovation(% of firms)
5-20 20-49 50 plus All firms
Your business’s ability to recruit new
staff or talent 28.4 27.6 32.8 28.7
Lack of necessary finance26.3 22.2 30.7 26.1
The intensity of competition24.6 28.1 17.0 24.4
Regulatory or legislative factors21.4 19.1 29.1 21.8
Attitudinal barriers to change among
your clients 14.4 17.1 14.0 14.7
Limited market opportunities for new
products or services 14.2 15.4 12.1 14.2
Attitudinal or expertise barriers to
change in your business 9.8 9.9 17.0 10.5
Lack of collaborators for developing
new products or services 9.7 10.4 12.7 10.1
Lack of ideas for new products or
services from your customers 4.2 6.9 0.0 4.2
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And collaboration? (N=180, innovating firms)
% co-operating firms
Suppliers of equipment, materials, services or software84.7
Clients or customers from the private sector57.9
Competitors or other businesses in your industry42.1
Clients or customers from the public sector39.4
Consultants, commercial labs or private R&D institutes29.3
Charities or other voluntary sector organisations22.6
Universities or other higher education institutions22.2
Government or public research institutes11.5
Hospitals or health service organisations19.3
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The benefits of innovation(N=180, innovating firms)
% firms citing
each benefit
Improved the quality of the products or services you offer 93.4
Enabled you to attract new clients 90.8
Extended the range of products or services you offer 89.2
Increased your revenue from existing clients 85.5
Involved tailoring your products or services to meet individual client
needs 84.3
Improved the speed of delivery of your products or services 64.5
Reduced environmental impacts 51.4
Reduced the costs of delivery of the products or services you
provide 45.6
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Doing business in Coventry…
All firms
Broadband access in Coventry is good 63.3
Coventry is a creative and innovative City 59.5
The transport system in Coventry works well for businesses 55.4
The universities in the City provide significant help for businesses 47.1
High quality business services are readily available locally 46.1
Skilled employees are available locally 44.4
Businesses in Coventry are strongly networked and support each
other 35.3
Suitable business premises are available locally at a reasonable cost 33.7
Coventry offers an environment that helps to attract and retain high
quality employees 32.7
The City of Coventry has a positive and dynamic external image 30.8
Businesses in Coventry are well supported by the City Council and
other public services 29.8 11
Social engagement and its benefits(% firms, n=137)
• Firms were asked ‘is your firm, either directly or through its employees, supporting any kind of activity, organisation or initiative that has a particular social, environmental or community objective?’.
• 36.9 per cent of firms indicated that they were engaged in this type of social or community engagement within Coventry
• 11.1 per cent were engaged with partners elsewhere.
% firms
reporting
this
benefit
Led to a positive impact on the
community 95.6
Contributed to your company identity70.8
Helped your staff to develop new
skills 52.4
Helped in increasing sales of your
products or services 42.9
Helped you attract or retain
employees 41.5
Helped you to develop new products
or services 29.2
Helped in saving costs in your
business 24.312
Final remarks
• UKIS data can tell us something about local innovation but sample sizes are limited, data is dated and lacks questions of local relevance
• There may be value in enhancing UKIS with local surveys where innovation is a specific focus of strategy/policy or has a particular character
• Such surveys can inform need and policy design and provide benchmarks for evaluation and impact measurement
• Do we need more local surveys in the Midlands? What would be the focus? Automotive? Manufacturing? Broadly based?
• Could this type of basic research activity drive/inform wider agendas such as the SIAs?
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