The state of innovation in South Africa: findings from the South African National Innovation Survey

Abstract

Innovation in the private sector occurs within individual enterprises and sometimes as a collaborative effort between enterprises. The process of producing an innovation usually comprises strategic activities that firms do not readily wish to disclose to third parties, particularly competitors. However, governments are generally aware of the benefits of innovation to the economy and seek to better understand the innovative dynamics in firms so that they can provide appropriate support measures to stimulate and encourage further innovation in order to increase the productivity and competitiveness of the business sector. One way to gain insight into these important activities in the private sector is through the implementation of an innovation survey such as that carried out in the European Union through the Community Innovation Survey. In South Africa, the Department of Science and Technology commissioned the Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators to undertake a series of national innovation surveys. In this paper we report on selected findings from the second official South African Innovation Survey for the period 2005-2007.