Annexes to COM(2014)211 - Implementation of Decision 1608/2003/EC on science and technology statistics - Main contents
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This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2014)211 - Implementation of Decision 1608/2003/EC on science and technology statistics. |
|---|---|
| document | COM(2014)211  |
| date | April 7, 2014 |
By specifying the statistical unit required and the uniform quality reporting, the Regulation also took a further step towards harmonising R&D and innovation statistics and strengthening the link with general business statistics.
2.2 Main achievements
The main achievements in the period covered by this report were as follows:
• There was continued growth in the data production volume of R&D expenditure and personnel data, compiled in various dimensions and breakdowns based on the Frascati Manual (OECD 2002);
• Agreement was reached on a further breakdown of data on ‘R&D funded from abroad’;
• A methodology was developed for measuring trans-nationally coordinated research in Europe (as part of Government budget appropriations or outlays for R&D - GBAORD);
• A more complete collection of information on public funding to ICT R&D from the business enterprise sector was initiated;
• The 2012 Community innovation survey was prepared on the basis of the Oslo Manual (OECD, Eurostat 2005) to measure the innovation performance of enterprises using a harmonised survey methodology and questionnaire including an ad hoc module on strategies and obstacles for reaching enterprises’ goals (increasing turnover, market share or profit margin; decreasing costs);
• Community innovation survey data at individual enterprise level (‘microdata’) could be accessed more quickly via Eurostat’s SAFE Centre and CD-ROM releases for external researchers; access now also includes the 2010 data set;
• Improvement of the quality and harmonisation of STI data through established quality reporting and the introduction of new quality measures;
• Work has begun on streamlining national data and metadata transmissions by working towards the use of the common ESS tools to support a more efficient and standardised production process;
• The timeliness of preliminary and final data releases has increased, due to improved data production processes in the ESS and more robust follow-up routines;
• Regular data production on employment in knowledge-intensive activities was set up, using an agreed methodology for classification of such activities;
• Regular data processing of statistics on Community trade marks and Community designs began in 2013;
• The publication of She Figures, the Commission’s 2012 report on women’s role in science, was facilitated by gender breakdowns of R&D and HRST data, where appropriate; and
• Classifications used for STI statistics were updated to comply with their revised versions (according to economic activity – NACE, trade products – SITC, education – ISCED, occupation – ISCO and territories - NUTS).
The main dissemination channel for the detailed STI data and related documentation is Eurostat’s online database (Eurobase). The Commission also disseminates STI data in several policy reports (e.g. related to the Europe 2020 strategy and the ERA).
2.3 Implementation of STI statistics in Member States
National data collections have been and will further be re-adjusted to meet the revised data requirements of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 995/2012. New data have been requested for the first time in December 2013 for GBAORD, June 2014 for innovation and June 2015 for R&D. Some of this work was already launched during the piloting phase of the new or revised data collections.
Member States’ compliance with the mandatory data provision requirements has been very satisfactory and followed up annually in two formal reporting rounds. The number of Member States with missing provisional R&D data for example was reduced to one in 2013 (and two and three in 2011-2012). This improved situation enabled the release of the EU R&D target indicator in 16 and 14 days after the end of the mandatory delivery date (31 October) in 2012 and 2013. Delays were previously 30 to 40 days. Coverage problems and delays in data deliveries have been mainly limited to isolated occurrences affecting national data production systems (e.g. temporary lack of resources, major redesign of production system).
3. DATA QUALITY
The framework for the data quality of STI statistics is the European Statistics Code of Practice[11]. This covers 15 main principles, of which several relate to the general institutional conditions (professional independence or adequacy of resources) of Member State authorities and organisations contributing to the overall quality of European statistics. Other principles such as sound methodology through manuals are for the STI statistics internationally established and frequently evaluated in joint efforts with the Member States. Several quality principles relating directly to the STI surveys (inter alia accuracy, coherence and comparability) are covered and monitored through regular quality reporting.
Eurostat has been collecting national quality reports on R&D and GBAORD statistics since 2007 and for each two-yearly round of the Community innovation survey since 2004. Serious shortcomings have not been identified. However for the R&D statistics some follow-up work has been identified in the form of national quality improvement action plans on R&D statistics (in 2011) in particular in the areas of improving the identification and updating regularly the frame population of R&D performers (enterprises known or assumed to perform R&D). Innovation survey challenges are mainly linked to measurement issues. Constant efforts are required to convey concisely but precisely to enterprise respondents what they are being asked for (new or significantly improved products and processes) and encourage them to process the desired information. Similarly quantification of the turnover from innovative products and the innovation expenditures remain challenging to be measured.
Synthesis of the innovation survey quality reports is released in online database together with the data. Regulation (EU) No 995/2012 has made quality reporting part of the mandatory data provision as from 2013.
4. COST AND BURDEN
4.1 STI statistics within the ESS
Eurostat’s most recent overall analysis of response burden and production costs in the Member States, launched for 2010, assessed the costs of producing STI (R&D and innovation) statistics as ‘medium’ and the response burden as ‘medium/high’. In this evaluation STI statistics performed in line with most statistical domains which were part of the overall assessment exercise, with somewhat lower production costs and a higher response burden than business statistics in general.
4.2 Detailed information collection on cost and burden
Regular attempts have been made to collect data on the cost and burden of STI data collections. Exact figures have been requested in the quality reporting, but consistent data allowing comparison or evaluation of the overall costs have proved difficult to obtain. Many Member States have pointed out that it will not be possible to separate the cost of the R&D and innovation surveys and data compilations, either from other business and related statistics or from similar activities based only on national needs. Where data are available, reporting methodologies that vary between Member States, and between institutions within Member States, preclude meaningful comparison or publication of the individual cost estimates.
Subject to the above reservations, the average burden measured by time spent filling in the enterprise sector R&D questionnaire for the reference period 2009 varied from 0.3 to six hours among the 13 of 15 Member States for which data are available. An exceptional value of 11 hours was reported by two Member States. Much fewer data are available from other economic sectors, although the periods of time spent filling in the R&D questionnaire in the government sector and higher education, while relatively close to each other, seem to be longer than in the enterprise sector.
As regards the Community innovation survey, the information in the quality reporting from the 2008 and 2010 survey waves reveals that the time spent by innovative enterprises on filling in the questionnaire varied between 0.48 and over three hours. Just two countries reported that more time was needed to fill in the questionnaire in 2010 than in 2008. Non-innovative enterprises spent between 0.24 and 1.85 hours filling in the questionnaire in 2010. Four out of ten countries reported higher costs in 2010 than in 2008, five had lower costs and one reported the same costs for both years.
4.3 Eurostat co-financing of STI data collections in Member States
The calls for grant proposals in 2006 and 2009 were followed by several similar calls under the 2011 Commission budget for co-financing the non-mandatory parts of the R&D or innovation data collections or for studying the feasibility of developing new indicators or financing the surveys on Career Development of Doctorate holders (CDH). In 2011, total financial commitments for STI statistics were € 1 019 974 for 13 Member States and Norway.
Phare Multi-Beneficiary Programmes for statistical cooperation, the Transition Facility Multi-Beneficiary Programme for statistical integration and the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (programmes from 2004 to 2011) have involved co-financing for a total of € 1 518 105 to conduct R&D, innovation and CDH surveys in associated third countries and Member States that joined the Union in 2004 or later.
5. FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF STI STATISTICS
5.1 Changes in the environment
The Commission Communication on a vision for European statistics[12] calls for more integrated, more intelligent approaches to the production of statistics. This includes integrating statistical tools, making increased use of administrative sources and simplifying and improving the statistical regulatory environment to obtain richer forward-looking statistical data, improve productivity and reduce the response burden.
Now that the implementing rules for STI statistics have been presented more consistently in Regulation (EU) No 995/2012, the next step will be to strengthen the link with other business statistics by including R&D and innovation statistics in a future ‘Framework Regulation integrating business statistics’, currently under discussion within the ESS. This will also provide the next opportunity to re-evaluate the mandatory content of R&D and innovation data.
On various occasions in recent years, national statistical authorities have reported a lack of resources, raising serious concerns as to their ability to meet existing or new ESS requirements. Priority setting is therefore more crucial than ever, for existing and planned statistical operations alike.
5.2 Improving and evaluating existing STI statistics
Statistics need to be sound and fit for purpose. Existing data collections, on R&D and innovation in particular, will be kept under constant relevance and quality review through the full use of regular compliance monitoring and systematic collection of quality reports. This is now even more important as the Europe 2020 strategy will be monitored partly through sets of STI indicators.
For R&D statistics, efforts are continuing to ensure that underlying data are reported for all R&D performers (or at least estimated when needed, whether or not they are known beforehand) and that these cover all economic sectors and sub-sectors and operating units of all sizes, i.e. the totality of R&D expenditure and personnel in the economy at a given time.
For European innovation statistics, an assessment will be made as to whether extending the coverage (to all business activities, the entire economy) would add sufficient new information to justify the additional resources needed and if this would be methodologically feasible.
As with the new work, improvements in existing STI statistics will be made, where mutually beneficial, in cooperation with the OECD and other international organisations with which coordination has already been stepped up. This includes continuing work to revise methodological reference manuals.
5.3 New indicators, new uses
Responding to the new user needs is particularly challenging in the present ESS environment, in particular in light of tighter budgets. New indicators and new data sources will nevertheless be frequently requested by the user community. Development work which goes beyond using the existing data sources, including new indicators, new data sources and even further breakdowns of the existing data (as they may involve larger sample sizes or methodological work), will take place only after thorough screening and, to the extent possible, cost/benefit analysis. Feasibility studies and pilot surveys will also be used in this context.
Further internationalisation of R&D, innovation and other enterprise activities pose, in overall terms, even additional challenges for compiling STI statistics now and in the future. This covers both obtaining new statistical data on internationalisation and also mastering business surveys in more globalised world and therefore more complex context.
The European System of National and Regional Accounts (ESA 2010)[13] is the newest internationally compatible EU accounting framework for a systematic and detailed description of an economy. This will be implemented as from September 2014. A major difference from the previous version (ESA 95) is the recognition of R&D as capital formation rather than considering it intermediary consumption. In other words, instead of R&D activities providing intermediate input to the main production of an enterprise, it will be now recognised as output in its own right and result in an increase in countries' GDP. This modification introduces new requirements for more detailed and broader measurement of R&D. Related to the OECD led revision of the Frascati Manual it is currently under consideration to what extent the R&D surveys, can contribute to R&D capitalisation work and what amendments could possibly be introduced.
[1] Decision No 1608/2003/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 July 2003 concerning the production and development of Community statistics on science and technology, OJ L 230, 16.9.2003, p. 1.
[2] Report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the implementation of Decision No 1608/2003/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. COM(2007) 801.
[3] Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the implementation of Decision No 1608/2003/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on science and technology statistics. COM(2011) 184.
[4] European Council conclusions of 17 June 2010. CO EUR 9, CONCL 2.
[5] Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on Europe 2020 Flagship Initiative Innovation Union. COM(2010) 546.
[6] Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on A Reinforced European Research Area Partnership for Excellence and Growth. COM(2012) 392 final.
[7] Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on Measuring innovation output in Europe: towards a new indicator. COM(2013) 624 final.
[8] Commission Regulation (EC) No 753/2004 of 22 April 2004 implementing Decision No 1608/2003/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards statistics on science and technology, OJ L 118, 23.4.2004, p. 23.
[9] Commission Regulation (EC) No 1450/2004 of 13 August 2004 implementing Decision No 1608/2003/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the production and development of Community statistics on innovation, OJ L 267, 14.8.2004, p. 32.
[10] Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 995/2012 of 26 October 2012 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Decision No 1608/2003/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the production and development of Community statistics on science and technology, OJ L 299, 27.10.2012, p. 18.
[11] Recommendation of the Commission on the independence, integrity and accountability of the national and Community statistical authorities. COM(2005) 217.
[12] Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the production method of EU statistics: a vision for the next decade. COM(2009) 404.
[13] Regulation (EU) No 549/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2013 on the European system of national and regional accounts in the European Union, OJ L 174, 26.6.2013, p. 1.