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
Date: 2011-04-11
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU statistics, applied sciences, cooperation policy, innovation, statistical method, technology

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EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 11.4.2011 
COM(2011) 184 final 

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 

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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 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

Official  statistics  on  science,  technology  and  innovation  (STI  statistics)  in  the  European 
Union are largely based on 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 technology1. In close cooperation with Member States, this Decision has been 
implemented  by  Eurostat  through  legislative  measures  and  voluntary  data  collections  and 
through Eurostat’s own statistical production. 

This report evaluates the implementation of the individual statistical actions listed in Article 2 
of the Decision. These actions aim at establishing a statistical information system on science, 
technology and innovation to support and monitor EU policies. 

Commission  Regulations  (EC)  No  753/2004  and  No  1450/2004  implementing  Decision 
1608/2003/EC  relate  to  the  two  data  collections  which  are  regularly  performed  within  the 
European  Statistical  System  (ESS)  by  Member  States’  statistical  authorities.  Both  research 
and  development  (R&D)  and  innovation  statistics  collected  under  these  two  implementing 
Regulations  have  become  recognised  and  widely  quoted  reference  data  in  EU  policy 
monitoring in the STI area. 

Together with R&D data, the former Regulation also describes statistical work covering the 
other  areas  of  STI  statistics,  such  as  human  resources  in  science  and  technology,  high-
technology industries and knowledge-based services, and patents. Statistics in these areas are 
produced by Eurostat directly using the existing source data and statistics (external or internal 
to Eurostat). This is complemented by voluntary data collection within the ESS on the careers 
of doctorate holders.  

The quality of the statistical data has become more essential because of policy orientation and 
monitoring and in particular the fact that policy targets are set through statistical information. 
The Europe 2020 strategy, like its predecessor the Lisbon strategy, has set a precise target for 
R&D intensity (spending 3 % of EU GDP on R&D by 2020) and it is therefore of the utmost 
importance that the quality of the measurement is and stays at a high level.  

The  adoption  of  the  above  Regulations  implementing  Decision  No  1608/2003/EC  has 
stabilised STI data quality. This has been followed by gradual and ongoing improvements and 
close  monitoring  of  quality.  Agreeing  and  implementing  international  standards  and 
methodology  and  constant  discussion  of  their  relevance  in  a  dynamic  measurement 
framework aim to keep the statistics up to date and of first-class quality. 

In further development work on STI statistics both the priorities set by the policy needs and 
the development of the ESS as a whole will be taken into account. Given the priorities already 
set by the Europe 2020 strategy and its flagship Innovation Union initiative, a balance will be 
sought between new work and actions to further improve the existing STI statistics.  

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OJ L 230, 16.9.2003, p. 1. 

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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  

1. INTRODUCTION 

This  report  concerns  the  implementation  of  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 (hereafter: the Decision).  

This  is  the  second  report  that  the  Commission  is  required  to  submit  to  the  European 
Parliament  and  the  Council  by  Article  5  of  the  Decision.  The  first  report  was  adopted  on 
14 December 20072.  

In  June  2010  the  European  Council  adopted  the  Europe  2020  strategy  for  jobs  and  smart, 
sustainable  and  inclusive  growth3.  It  also  confirmed  the  five  EU  headline  targets,  one  of 
which is to improve the conditions for innovation and research and development (R&D), in 
particular with the aim of raising combined public and private investment levels in this sector 
to 3 % of gross domestic product (GDP).  
In addition, in its Communication of 6 October 20104, the Commission proposed an indicator 
reflecting  R&D  and  innovation  intensity  and,  to  monitor  overall  progress  in  innovation 
performance, an annual Research and Innovation Union scoreboard5.  

The Competitiveness Council has also called for work to identify a limited and consistent set 
of  indicators  which  will  serve  as  an  operational  tool  in  line  with  the  Council  political 
objectives  and  strategies  to  monitor  progress  towards  full  achievement  of  the  European 
Research Area6 (a European ‘single market’ for research and innovation, where researchers, 
ideas and knowledge circulate freely).  

The report takes stock of how the  statistical information system on  science, technology  and 
innovation  has  been  implemented  to  support  and  monitor  EU  policies.  The  first  part  of  the 
report  focuses  on  the  implementation  of  the  measures  provided  for  in  Article  2  of  the 
Decision. It is followed by chapters on data quality, costs and the statistical burden. The final 
chapter of the report looks ahead to strategic actions that should be taken in the years to come. 

2. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECISION 

2.1 Implementation by the Commission 

Decision No  1608/2003/EC has been implemented by Eurostat through legislative measures 
and  voluntary  data  collections  within  the  Member  States  and  through  Eurostat’s  own 
statistical production. 

Most importantly, there are two implementing Regulations in force: 

Article 2(1) and (2) of the Decision  

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COM(2007) 801. 
CO EUR 9, CONCL 2. 
COM(2010) 546. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the 
European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: Europe 2020 Flagship 
Initiative — Innovation Union. 
COM(2010) 546. 
2945th Competitiveness Council meeting, Brussels, 29.5.2009. 

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•  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  technology7,  which  concentrates  particularly  on  R&D  statistics.  This  Regulation  covers 
also statistics on human resources in science and technology (‘HRST statistics’), statistics on 
high-technology  industries  and  knowledge-based  services,  patent  statistics  and  other  STI 
statistics (without, however, assigning direct tasks to Member States).  

Article 2(2) (innovation) of the Decision 

• 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 innovation8. 

Both  R&D  and  innovation  statistics  collected  through  these  two  implementing  Regulations 
have became recognised and widely quoted reference data in EU policy monitoring.  

The main achievements in the various domains of STI statistics have been: 

2.1.1  R&D  statistics  (including  statistics  on  government  budget  appropriations  or 
outlays allocated to R&D, known as GBAORD statistics) 

R&D statistics measure R&D performance in Europe. R&D expenditure and R&D personnel 
from  the  point  of  view  of  the  R&D  performing  enterprise  or  institution  are  compiled  in 
various dimensions and breakdowns. These statistics are based on the ‘Frascati Manual’ and 
will be used inter alia for compiling public and private R&D investment intensity indicators 
for  the  Europe  2020  strategy.  They  have  until  now  been  used  to  compile  the  Lisbon  and 
Barcelona Council indicator on R&D intensity. 

Main achievements: 

• Increased data production volume and data quality and harmonisation of the data collection 
questionnaire and time series with the OECD; 

• Agreement reached on the treatment of ‘R&D funded from abroad’; 

•  Initiation  of  measuring  trans-nationally  coordinated  research  in  Europe  (GBAORD  and 
trans-national public R&D performers) 

•  Improvement  of  the  quality  and  harmonisation  of  the  data  through  the  established  quality 
reporting and initiation of improvement actions on this reporting basis.  

2.1.2 European innovation statistics 

The  Community  innovation  surveys  measure  the  innovation  performance  of  enterprises  in 
Europe.  They  provide  indicators  on  innovation  activities,  the  various  types  of  innovation, 
innovation expenditure, the effects or cooperation on innovation. These surveys are the only 
harmonised  source  for  measuring  innovation  in  Europe  and  beyond.  They  are  based  on  the 
‘Oslo Manual’. 

Main achievements: 

•  Release  of  the  2005  Eurostat/OECD  Oslo  Manual  2005,  which  also  covers  organisational 
and marketing innovation; 

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OJ L 118, 23.4.2004, p. 23. 
OJ L 267, 14.8.2004, p. 32. 

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•  Preparation  of  several  rounds  of  the  Community  innovation  survey  with  a  harmonised 
survey  questionnaire  and  methodology  including  ad  hoc  modules  covering  eco-innovations 
and creativity and skills (respectively for 2008 and 2010); 

• Opening and extending access to the CIS microdata via Eurostat’s SAFE Centre and through 
CD-Rom releases for wider research use. 

Article 2(2) (HRST, patents and high-tech statistics) of the Decision 

2.1.3  Statistics  on  human  resources  in  science  and  technology,  high-technology 
industries and knowledge-based services and patent statistics 

Based  on  the  ‘Canberra  Manual’,  HRST  statistics  measure  the  share  of  the  workforce  who 
have  a  tertiary  level  education  in  science  and  technology  or  are  employed  in  a  science  and 
technology  occupation.  High-tech  and  knowledge  statistics  monitor  the  sectors  of  the 
economy  which  are  characterised  by  high  knowledge  intensity  (e.g.  pharmaceuticals, 
computers,  telecommunication,  aircraft,  R&D).  These  two  sets  of  statistics  are  produced  by 
Eurostat using existing statistical data from other surveys and statistical data compilations at 
Eurostat.  Patent  statistics  are  in  general  used  as  output  indicators  related  to  science, 
technology  and  innovation  and  these  indicators  are  produced  at  Eurostat  on  the  basis  of 
administrative  data  coming  from  the  European  Patent  Office  or  other  major  patent  offices. 
World-wide  comparisons  of  patenting  activities  allow  the  innovative  capacity  of  the 
respective economies to be assessed. 

Main achievements: 

• Together with the OECD and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) and based on strong 
user  needs,  preparation  and  broad  implementation  of  voluntary  direct  data  collection  in 
Member  States  for  ‘statistics  on  the  careers  of  doctorate  holders’  (‘CDH  statistics’) 
monitoring resident doctorate holders, including their personal characteristics, educational and 
work history, international mobility, etc.; 

•  Continuation  and  stepping-up  of  regular  production  of  the  HRST  and  high-tech  statistics 
based on existing data sources; 

• Assessment of the underlying classifications and their feasibility for offering information on 
the knowledge-intensive economy (activities); 

• Together with other international institutions (such as the European Patent Office — EPO, 
the World Intellectual Property Organisation — WIPO, the US Patent and Trademark Office 
— USPTO, the Japan Patent Office — JPO, the US National Science Foundation — NSF, or 
the OECD), establishment and further improvement of EPO PATSTAT, the harmonised raw 
database covering, inter alia, EPO patent applications and USPTO patents granted; 

• Contribution to and review of the 2009 revision of the OECD Patent Manual in cooperation 
with the above-mentioned other major users of patent data and statistics;  

• Improvement and application of Eurostat’s method for harmonising the names of the patent 
applicants  to  allow  the  production  of  additional  patent  statistics,  e.g.  patent  concentration 
ratios, and for the assignment of patent applicants to institutional sectors. A first version of the 
two methods was applied to EPO and USPTO applicant names in 2006 and the methods were 
updated in 2009 based on all EPO PATSTAT applicant names; 

• As of 2005 onwards, the significant efforts undertaken in data treatment and methodological 
developments have allowed an expansion of patent indicators, e.g. high-tech, biotech, foreign 
ownership, intra-EU and international co-patenting, patent citations, energy technologies. 

Article 2(2) (gender-disaggregated statistics) of the Decision 

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Personnel variables of the R&D data collection, HRST and voluntary CDH statistics offer the 
gender  breakdowns  where  appropriate.  This  has  vastly  facilitated  publication  of  the 
Commission’s report on women’s role in science — the ‘She Figures’ — in 2006 and 2009.  

Article 2(3) of the Decision 

The  methodological  work  has  continued  in  close  cooperation  with  the  other  international 
partners,  in  particular  the  OECD.  This  has  led,  among  other  things,  to  the  new  and  revised 
manuals  as  referred  to  above,  rationalised  data  collection  tools  and  processes  for  the  R&D 
data and the CDH data collection. Standards and classifications have been updated to comply 
with the revised background classifications (economic activity, product classification, socio-
economic objectives).  

Article 2(5) of the Decision 

The  main  dissemination  channel  for  the  detailed  STI  data  and  related  documentation  is 
Eurostat’s  statistical  web-based  database,  which  can  be  accessed  free  of  charge.  Database 
dissemination  is  supported  by  numerous  statistical  publications  and  News  Releases. 
Furthermore, the main findings are quoted on the Eurostat web service Statistics Explained. 
Apart  from  this  statistical  output,  Eurostat  began  offering  research  access  to  the  CIS 
microdata via its SAFE Centre and through CD-Rom releases. This has contributed greatly to 
international  innovation  research  inside  and  outside  the  Commission.  The  Commission  also 
disseminates the STI data in several policy reports (including in particular those related to the 
Europe 2020 strategy and its predecessor).  

2.2 Implementation of STI statistics in Member States 

This  section  describes  briefly  the  measures  taken  in  Member  States  with  regard  to  STI 
statistics collected directly from them: R&D/GBAORD statistics, the Community innovation 
survey  and  voluntary  CDH  statistics.  For  the  other  domains,  other  existing  data  sources  are 
used which are not included in STI surveys to be carried out by Member States. 

R&D/GBAORD statistics 

To  meet  the  requirements  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  753/2004,  many  countries  adapted  their 
national  questionnaires  and  data  collection  from  2002/2003  onwards.  As  referred  to  in  the 
first  report,  a  number  of  countries  had  problems  with  transmission  of  R&D  and  GBAORD 
data for the first two obligatory reference years (2003 and 2004), with special reference to the 
completeness  of  the  data  and  meeting  the  deadlines  imposed  by  the  above  Commission 
Regulation. Subsequently, data availability and deadline compliance improved considerably.  

Systematic monitoring of compliance with the statistical legislation has resulted altogether in 
six  ‘non-compliance’  notifications  to  Member  States  for  data  related  to  the  reference  years 
2006-2008. By now the coverage problems and the delays in data deliveries have been mainly 
limited  to  non-systematic  occurrences  in  the  national  data  production  systems  (accidental 
problems,  temporary  lack  of  resources,  major  redesign  of  production).  Transmission  of  the 
R&D variables requested on a voluntary basis has remained incomplete. 

European innovation statistics 

The Community innovation surveys have become part of the standard statistical infrastructure 
in  the  Member  States  following  the  requirements  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  1450/2004.  The 
Community  innovation  survey  2004  was  perceived  as  less  burdensome  and  easier  to 
implement at national level. In the survey for 2006 voluntary work took place to facilitate full 
use of the Oslo Manual definition of an innovation and, finally, the 2008 survey covered both 
technological  (process  and  product)  and  non-technological  (organisational  and  marketing) 
innovations on an equal footing on a mandatory basis.  

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Apart from one Member State no notable non-compliance has been identified. The tabulated 
data for 2006 and 2008 were delivered in time and in complete form by almost all Member 
States. Deliveries allowed dissemination of EU data in time for the major Commission report 
on  innovation.  However,  Eurostat  is  not  receiving  all  the  national  microdata  sets  or  all  the 
desired variables as these transmissions remain voluntary. 

Statistics on the career development of doctorate holders (‘CDH statistics’) 

Based on strong user needs, the broader production of CDH statistics started in 2006 and 2007 
in more than 20 Member States on a voluntary basis. In this context, countries started to work 
on  using  national  administrative  data  sources  and  registers,  building  up  national  sample 
frames  covering  all  resident  doctorate  holders,  calculating  sample  size,  drawing  up  the 
national  survey  questionnaires  and  developing  data  collection  techniques.  This  work 
continued  with  the  equivalent  2009  survey,  testing  the  stability  of  the  concepts,  definitions 
and data production systems. A broader evaluation of the production of CDH statistics will be 
conducted after the results from this survey are made available in 2011. 

3. DATA QUALITY 

Article 2(4) of the Decision 

The  framework  for  the  data  quality  of  STI  statistics  is  the  European  Statistics  Code  of 
Practice9,  which  covers  15  main  principles.  Several  principles  relate  to  the  general 
institutional  settings  of  the  Member  States’  authorities  and  their  organisations  (professional 
independence  or  adequacy  of  resources)  contributing  to  the  overall  quality  of  European 
statistics,  while  some  of  the  principles  (such  as  sound  methodology  through  manuals)  are 
internationally  established,  commonly  and  constantly  evaluated  and  available  to  everybody. 
Several  quality  principles  that  are  directly  related  to  the  STI  surveys  are  covered  and 
monitored 
(inter  alia  accuracy,  coherence  and 
comparability).  

regular  quality 

reporting 

through 

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. Quality 
reporting  on  voluntary  CDH  statistics  has  been  included  in  the  provision  of  the  national 
metadata in both rounds of the data collection.  

Some of the statistical quality issues arising in the various domains are highlighted below.  

•  R&D  statistics.  The  recommendations  on  data  compilation  made  in  the  OECD  Frascati 
Manual have generally been observed. The quality of European R&D statistics improved with 
the  implementation  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  753/2004.  The  data  users  have  not  raised 
criticisms  concerning  the  relevance,  accuracy  or  comparability  of  the  data.  However,  some 
coverage and measurement-related improvements are desired.  

•  European  innovation  statistics.  The  timeliness,  completeness  and  comparability  of  the 
national  data  sets  have  improved  thanks  to  the  shorter,  clearer  questionnaires,  the  improved 
production  and  implementation  process  at  national  level  and  greater  familiarity  with  the 
innovation concepts on the part of respondents. Users have found the data very relevant and 
have  requested  still  better  comparability  and  accuracy  for  the  numeric  variables.  A 
harmonised  model  questionnaire  prepared  in  line  with  Regulation  (EC)  No  1450/2004  is 
considered to have made a positive contribution to the comparability of the results. 

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•  CDH  statistics.  The  2006  CDH  data  collection  was  the  first  attempt  at  a  large-scale  data 
collection  on  doctorate  holders.  Particularly  challenging  was  finding  sources  for  the 
representative sampling that would also allow issues of international mobility to be addressed.  

•  Other  STI  statistics.  For  the  other  domains  the  quality  improvements  largely  depend  on 
progress made with the source data. Considerable progress has been made in this respect with 
the  data  from  the  EU  Labour  Force  Survey,  Trade  statistics  or  PATSTAT.  Classifications 
used have been updated in line with the revised economic activity and product classifications.  

4. COST AND BURDEN 

Eurostat  measures  the  costs  and  burden  imposed  by  business  statistics  in  a  number  of 
statistical  domains.  According  to  the  most  recent  overall  analysis  of  response  burden  in  the 
Member  States  launched  in  June  2009,  STI  statistics  (R&D  and  innovation  statistics)  are 
situated to 10th place in terms of the burden on respondent enterprises among the 16 business 
statistics covered. The annual burden of STI statistics fluctuates somewhat, reflecting the two-
yearly nature of the innovation statistics.  

Attempts have been  made  following  the adoption  of Council Decision No  1608/2003/EC to 
collect data on the cost and burden of the related data collections. Precise measures have been 
requested in the regular quality reporting but these have proved somewhat difficult to obtain, 
particularly in a harmonised manner allowing comparisons or evaluation of the overall costs. 
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 the data is available, 
the methodologies used for the reporting are also different among Member States and within 
Member States between the institutions in charge, so that the information does not allow real 
meaningful comparisons 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 2007 varies from 0.7 hours to 4 
hours among the 13 Member States where the data is available (with an exception of 6 hours 
reported by one Member State). The most typical time taken was 2 hours. Much less data is 
available from other economic sectors although the periods of time spent filling in the R&D 
questionnaire in the government sector and higher education seem to be much longer than in 
the enterprise sector, albeit relatively close to each other.  

As  regards  the  Community  innovation  survey,  the  information  included  in  the  quality 
reporting  from  the  survey  waves  2006  and  2008  reveals  that  the  time  spent  filling  in  the 
innovation  questionnaire  varied  between  0.45  and  4.5  hours  (with  an  extreme  value  of  6 
hours). The typical time was 1.7 and 2 hours respectively, being therefore close to the burden 
of  the  R&D  survey.  Weak  evidence  following  the  individual  Member  States’  data  available 
from  both  waves  shows  that  the  response  burden  measured  by  time  spent  did  not  increase 
between 2006 and 2008. Similarly, the costs for the statistical authorities remained relatively 
stable from 2006 to 2008. Unfortunately, the cost data remain still relatively poorly covered, 
not allowing further analysis to be made. 

Several calls for grant proposals have been launched under the 2006 and 2009 Commission 
budget  for  co-financing  the  non-mandatory  parts  of  the  R&D  or  CIS  data  collections  or  for 
studying  the  feasibility  of  developing  new  indicators  or  financing  the  CDH  surveys.  Total 
2006 commitments were €
 373 311 for CDH, with 10 and 7 Member 
States and EEA countries participating respectively. In all, 2009 commitments were €
 163 457 
 898 610 for CDH, with the participation of 8, 16 and 13 
 713 475 for the CIS and €
for R&D, €
Member States and EEA countries respectively. 

 676 782 for the CIS and €

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The  2004  to  2006  Phare  Multi-Beneficiary  Programmes  for  statistical  cooperation  and  the 
2004  and  2005  Transition  Facility  Multi-Beneficiary  Programme  for  statistical  integration 
allowed co-financing of the implementation of the R&D, CIS and CDH surveys only in the 
Member  States  that  joined  in  the  fifth  enlargement  (2004)  and  thereafter.  The  total  amount 
awarded to beneficiaries through these actions was €
 417 723 for the CIS 
and €

 426 042 for CDH respectively for 11, 12 and 9 beneficiaries. 

 219 631 for R&D, €

5. FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF STI STATISTICS 

Statistics  need  a  certain  degree  of  stability.  However,  in  the  area  of  STI  statistics  the 
phenomenon  of  interest  is  dynamic  by  its  nature  and  new  user  needs  frequently  arise. 
Responding  to  the  new  needs  is  particularly  challenging  in  the  present  environment  of  the 
European Statistical System as described below. 

5.1 Changes in the environment 

5.1.1 User requirements 

High and continuing political interest in R&D, innovation and the knowledge economy as a 
whole means constant pressure on STI statistics. User requirements such as more timely and 
detailed  data  with  improved  quality  have  been  known  for  a  long  time  and  many  issues  are 
addressed  with  strengthened  tools  such  as  quality  reporting,  more  precise  methodology  or 
sharing of good practices. Internationalisation of R&D and expansion of innovation activities 
to  the  public  sector  are  examples  of  the  new  requirements  for  statistical  monitoring,  whose 
feasibility  is  being  investigated  through  pilot  surveys.  New  and  well  justified  needs  are 
expected to be steadily addressed to STI statistics in the future.  

5.1.2 Production method of EU statistics: a vision for the next decade 
The  Commission  Communication  on  the  vision  for  European  statistics10  calls  for  more 
integrated,  more  intelligent  approaches  to  the  production  of  statistics.  This  includes 
integrating  statistical  tools  and  making  increased  use  of  administrative  sources  and  also 
simplifying  and  improving  the  statistical  regulatory  environment,  with  the  aim  of  obtaining 
richer  statistical  data  of  a  forward-looking  nature,  improving  productivity  and  reducing  the 
response burden.  

5.1.3 Scarce resources and priority setting 

A  lack  of  resources  has  been  reported  by  national  statistical  authorities  in  various  contexts 
during  recent  years,  raising  serious  concerns  regarding  the  ability  to  meet  ESS  statistical 
requirements. Priority setting therefore becomes more crucial than ever and concerns existing 
and planned statistical operations alike.  

5.2 Improving and evaluating existing STI statistics 

The existing statistics need to fulfil the requirement of being sound and fit for purpose. With 
full use of regular compliance monitoring and systematic collection of the quality reports, the 
existing  data  collections,  on  R&D  and  innovation  in  particular,  will  be  kept  under  constant 
relevance and quality review. This is now even more important as the Europe 2020 strategy 
will be monitored amongst others through variable STI indicators.  

This operation will be assisted by the Rolling Review in 2011, which is a tool to carry out a 
complex  assessment  in  a  wider  sense  involving  evaluation  not  only  of  the  statistical  data 

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COM(2009) 404. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on 
the production method of EU statistics: a vision for the next decade. 

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produced  but  also  of  the  process  to  produce  them,  the  interactions  with  data  providers  and 
interactions with users of the data.  

In the light of the environment setting discussed above, the following issues in particular will 
be addressed with high priority: 

• R&D statistics. This involves ensuring that the underlying data are measured by all R&D 
performers or at least estimated when needed, whether or not they are known beforehand, and 
cover  all  economic  sectors  and  sub-sectors  and  all  sizes  of  operating  units  —  therefore 
covering the totality of R&D (expenditures and personnel) in the economy at a given time. In 
this  context,  a  core  set  of  indicators  to  monitor  the  ERA  will  be  developed.  This  takes  into 
account  sound  statistical  methodology  for  treating  non-responses  in  the  surveys  and 
addressing the R&D measurement issues, with the aim of increasing the level of international 
harmonisation. 

•  European  innovation  statistics.  The  measurement  issues  of  innovation  in  its  different 
concepts  need  to  be  addressed.  This  covers  in  particular  the  numeric  variables,  innovation 
expenditures  and  turnover  from  innovation.  Furthermore,  an  assessment  will  be  made  of 
whether extending the coverage (to all business activities, the entire economy) would add new 
information at a level that would be justified and is methodologically feasible. 

In the spirit of the vision for European statistics, a strategy for using an integrated survey on 
R&D and innovation will be evaluated and an assessment will be made of what would be the 
impact particularly on the data quality and comparability. This evaluation will attempt to take 
into account the ESS statistical infrastructure as a whole.  

• CDH statistics. A thorough evaluation will be made in 2011 of the implementation of the 
CDH  data  collection  in  2006  and  2009  with  a  view  to  assessing  the  future  of  this  data 
compilation.  

• Patent statistics. Richer use of the underlying administrative source will be investigated, in 
particular  in  connection  with  other  existing  sources  for  adding  the  new  information  and 
variables. Full use will be made of the improved methodology for name harmonisation. 

Improvements  in  existing  STI  statistics  (as  with  the  new  work)  will  be  made  in  close 
cooperation with the OECD and other international organisations with which coordination has 
already  been  stepped  up.  This  covers  work  towards  revised  international  methodological 
manuals.  

5.3 New indicators, new data sources  

New  indicators  and  new  data  sources  will  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  analysis.  This  may  concern  work  on  patents  in  technologies  or  data  on  other 
Intellectual  Property  Rights  related  to  Societal  Challenges.  Feasibility  studies  and  pilot 
surveys will also be utilised in this context.  

5.4 Updating the legal framework for STI statistics 

Adoption  of  the  Europe  2020  strategy  and  its  various  flagship  initiatives  together  with 
monitoring  of  the  European  Research  Area  call  for  agreement  on  the  statistical  monitoring 
framework for the EU policies set. It is of the utmost importance that the indicators used for 
those purposes are based on statistics and variables which are in regular statistical production 
in the Member States and covered by the statistical legislation.  

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Eurostat therefore aims to review both Regulation (EC) No 753/2004 and Regulation (EC) No 
1450/2004  with  a  view  to  revising  them,  taking  into  account  in  particular  the  most  recent 
policy monitoring needs. In doing so  a balance will be achieved between existing, new and 
potentially discontinued statistics and the rationale of integrated legislation and surveys will 
be  investigated.  The  emphasis  will  remain  on  the  relevance  and  quality  of  the  data.  New 
legislation will be considered with particular care. 

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