Total expenditure on Research and Innovation for 2008 was estimated at €107.0 million.

In the period under review the land and air transport sector comprised the largest percentage share of total innovation expenditure at 14.9 per cent, followed by the telecommunications, programming and broadcasting sector, with 13.6 per cent. Furthermore, the manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and preparations sector registered the highest intramural Research and Development (R&D) expenditure, accounting for 24.9 per cent of total outlay on R&D activities.

Type of Innovation Activity

A total of 1,288 enterprises were surveyed, with a response rate of 73 per cent. Enterprises which reported innovation activities numbered 410, of which 86 were technologically innovative (PP only), 127 were non-technologically innovative (NPP only) and 197 were both technologically and non-technologically innovative.

R&D Personnel

Responding enterprises reported 616 persons who were engaged in R&D activities, of whom 502 were males and 114 females. Of these, 13 were Ph.D holders while 452 held a university degree or a tertiary diploma.

Objectives and Co-operation

The principal objective of innovation activities was improving the quality of their products by enterprises, followed by the capacity to offer a wider range of goods or services. In the time span 2004-2008, suppliers of equipment, materials, components or software emerged as the most prevalent co-operation partners, while the majority of co-operation agreements were with parties in other European countries

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