Total expenditure on R&D totalled €107 million in 2008

In the period under review, land and air transport sector comprised the largest percentage share of total innovation expenditure at 14.9%, followed by the telecommunications, programming and broadcasting sector, with 13.6%.

According to the NSO, the manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and preparations sector registered the highest intramural research and development (R&D) expenditure, accounting for 24.9 % of total outlay on R&D activities for the period under review.

A total of 1,288 enterprises were surveyed by the NSO, with a response rate of 73%.

Enterprises which reported innovation activities numbered 410, of which 86 were technologically innovative, 127 were non-technologically innovative and 197 were both technologically and non-technologically innovative.

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.

The NSO reported that 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 had emerged as the most prevalent co-operation partners, while the majority of co-operation agreements were with parties in other European countries.