Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union
1.2. Contact organisation unit
G2: European Businesses
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
L-2920 Luxembourg
LUXEMBOURG
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
21 March 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
21 March 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
21 March 2025
3.1. Data description
The Community Innovation Survey (CIS) is a European data collection about business innovation. It provides information about innovation activities of enterprises, the environment enterprises operate in, and their ability to generate economic value by introducing new products or improving production processes or other business operations. The data collection informs about:
innovation activities;
implemented product innovations (goods or services new to the firm versus new to the market);
turnover from innovative products;
firm selling in foreign market (by markets);
implemented business process innovation (by kinds of business processes);
customisation and co-creation;
innovation cooperation;
issuing and use of Intellectual Property Rights;
resilience: risks faced by the enterprise and mitigating action taken;
innovation expenditure;
access to finance by kind of finance (equity versus credit) and usage for innovation activities;
access to public financial support by issuer of support and usage for innovation;
usage tax incentives or allowances;
purchase of innovative machinery and equipment;
group status of the enterprise;
age of the enterprise;
other aspects.
The CIS provides information on the above aspects broken down by
Innovation Profiles (type of the enterprise in view is innovativeness);
size class of enterprises (10-49; 50-249; 250+);
economic activity: business sectors (see section 3.6 for a description of the scope in terms of NACE categories and employment).
provides methodological guidance on concepts, definitions, data requirements and compilation methods;
explains the new legal basis within the framework of European Business Statistics;
relates to new challenges and possibilities in the compilation of CIS statistics;
presents information on selected national practices that could serve as good practices;
explains the new validation and quality rules, and the metadata reporting tools;
explains the concepts and methods of the updated data transmission rules to Eurostat.
The CIS was first launched in the 1990s and became a regular biennial data collection starting from CIS4 (2004) in the EU Member States, EFTA countries and EU candidate countries. Since its launch the CIS was based on the methodology laid down in the Oslo Manual — international standards for conceptualising and collecting data on innovation. First Oslo Manual was published in 1992. It has been revised on three occasions to take into account the experience and expand its measurement framework — in 1997, 2005 and in 2018.
For each survey round, Eurostat together with the countries develops a standard harmonized questionnaire – Harmonised Data Collection (HDC) – listing the mandatory and optional questions to be provided within a given round. The questionnaire includes the set of definitions and methodological recommendations to assure the comparability among countries. The CIS 2022 HDC is available in the Annex 1.
The following questions were new in the CIS 2022:
Reasons for not having more innovation activities or reasons for not having any innovation activities at all, depending on the innovation status of the enterprises (mandatory question).
Fundamental changes to the business model of the enterprise (optional question).
The following optional questions from the CIS2020 have been deleted in the CIS2022:
Effects of the legislation on the enterprises’ innovation activities;
Factors hampering the enterprises’ decision to start innovation activities.
Most statistics in the CIS 2022 refer to the three-year observation period 2020 to 2022. For example, enterprises are asked if they had any innovation activity during the period covering the years 2020, 2021 and 2022. If so, they are identified as ‘innovation-active’ in the CIS 2022. Only the data about turnover, expenditure, and employment relate to only one calendar year (the year 2022). All the other statistics refer to the whole observation period 2020 to 2022 (see details in the Annex 1).
The complete list of questions (and variables) included in all CIS waves since 1992 can be accessed via a virtual tool - CIS Questionnaire Library.
3.2. Classification system
Firm-level indicators are classified by country, economic activity (NACE Rev. 2), size class of enterprises and type of innovation.
The main typology of classification of enterprises is the distinction between innovation-active enterprises (INN) and not innovation-active enterprises (NINN).
An enterprise is considered to be innovation-active (INN) if, during the reference period, it successfully introduced a product or business process innovation, had ongoing innovation activities, abandoned innovation activities, completed these activities but had not yet introduced an innovation, or was engaged in R&D (in-house or contracted out). Not innovation-active (NINN) enterprises were not involved in the innovation activities mentioned above during the reference period.
3.3. Coverage - sector
In accordance with the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1092 on innovation statistics, the following sectors of the economic activity are included in the core target population: NACE Sections B, C, D, E, H, J, K, and Divisions 46, 71, 72 and 73.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
The CIS provides information on business innovation (for more detail see section 3.1). The concepts used in the CIS are in line with the Oslo Manual (2018, 4th Edition), which is the internationally recognized standard methodology for collecting innovation statistics.
Main concepts and definitions used for the CIS data collection:
An innovation is a new or improved product or business process (or combination thereof) that differs significantly from the unit’s previous products or business processes and that has been made available to potential users (product) or brought into use by the enterprise (business process).
The minimum requirement for an innovation to occur is that the product or business process must be new or significantly improved to the enterprise. This includes products, and business processes that firms are the first to develop and those that have been adopted from other firms or organisations.
The Regulation defines the enterprise as the smallest combination of legal units that is an organisational unit producing goods or services, which benefits from a certain degree of autonomy in decision making, especially for the allocation of its current resources. It may carry out one or more activities at one or more locations, and it may be a combination of legal units, one single legal unit or part of a legal unit.
3.6. Statistical population
The population of the CIS is determined by the size of the enterprise and its main activity. In accordance with the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1092 on innovation statistics, all enterprises with 10 or more employed persons in NACE Sections B, C, D, E, H, J, K, and Divisions 46, 71, 72 and 73 are included in the statistical population. The number of employed persons is the sum of employees and self-employed persons.
3.7. Reference area
The results of the CIS 2022 are published for EU Member States, Norway, and Türkiye.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Several rounds of the Community Innovation Survey have been conducted so far at two-year intervals since the mid 1990’s.
CIS wave
Reference period
Code Eurobase
CIS2
1994-1996
CIS2
CIS3
1998-2000
CIS3
CIS light
2002-2003*
CIS light
CIS4
2002-2004
CIS4
CIS2006
2004-2006
CIS5
CIS2008
2006-2008
CIS6
CIS2010
2008-2010
CIS7
CIS2012
2010-2012
CIS8
CIS2014
2012-2014
CIS9
CIS2016
2014-2016
CIS10
CIS2018
2016-2018
CIS11
CIS2020
2018-2020
CIS12
CIS2022
2020-2022
CIS13
*two reference periods can be distinguished for CIS light: 2000-2002 and 2001-2003
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
CIS 2022 indicators are available according to 4 units of measure:
NR — Number. The number of enterprises and the number of persons employed.
THS_EUR — Thousands of euros. All financial variables are provided in thousands of euros, i.e., Turnover or Innovation expenditure.
PC — Percentage. The percentage is the ratio between the selected combinations of indicators.
Most statistics in the CIS 2022 refer to the three-year observation period 2020 to 2022. Only the data about turnover, expenditure, and employment relate to only one calendar year (the year 2022). All the other statistics refer to the whole observation period 2020 to 2022.
The Eurostat database (Eurobase), this metadata report and other methodological notes indicate by convention the year 2022 to refer to CIS2022 data, most of which cover the 2020-2022 observation period (with the exceptions mentioned above).
The information on the reference period of collected indicators is available in the Annex 1 of this Metadata file.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Starting with the CIS 2022 round, the CIS has been integrated into the framework of European Business Statistics (EBS). This means that the data are produced and transmitted to Eurostat according to Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 ('EBS Regulation') and the General Implementing Act to this regulation, Regulation (EU) 2020/1197 ('EBS GIA'). These two Regulations are common to other domains, for example Structural Business Statistics (SBS) and Business Demography Statistics (BD). This framework ensures that CIS data are compatible with the output of all other European data collections on enterprises and the economy. It enables comparisons between data for different countries and from different data collections.
Specifically for the Community Innovation Survey (CIS), Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1092 applies. It sets out the quality conditions and identifies the obligatory cross-coverage of economic sectors, size class of enterprises and innovation indicators.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Not applicable.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164) stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
Primary and secondary confidentiality of the CIS (national and regional) data is managed by the countries. The confidential data are sent with an appropriate ‘c’ flag if it is meant to restrict from publication.
Eurostat honours national flagging rules and is not executing any additional operation and manipulations than removing flagged values while publishing the results. Primary and secondary confidentiality is respected for any data publicly released.
The European aggregates are not disseminated for all cells where the dissemination would reveal country data flagged as confidential.
8.1. Release calendar
There is no official release calendar for CIS data. However, CIS final data at the EU level can be expected in the second semester of even-numbered years (t+2) after the processing of the data collected in the regular data collection scheduled for t+18, according to the legal requirements. CIS final data at the national level are often available before.
Several indicators collected on voluntary basis in the context of the ‘Fast Track’ data collection in t+15 for CIS 2022 were released in Eurobase in July 2024 as preliminary data. The final data replace the preliminary data.
For the first time for the CIS 2022, regional data will be disseminated in Eurobase at the end of March 2025. The regional data are collected on a voluntary basis and the scope is limited to selected variables.
8.2. Release calendar access
No official calendar is available for CIS data release.
8.3. Release policy - user access
In line with the Community legal framework and the European Statistics Code of Practice, Eurostat disseminates European statistics on Eurostat's website (see item 10 - 'Accessibility and clarity') respecting professional independence, in an objective, professional and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably. The detailed arrangements are governed by the Eurostat protocol on impartial access to Eurostat data for users.
Since 2004, the results of the Community Innovation Surveys have been disseminated every even year.
The CIS microdata sets are available exclusively for research purposes. The access is provided according to contracts established between Eurostat and the corresponding research institutions.
Two versions of microdata are made available, and they differ on the level of information retained:
Secure use files: confidential data as obtained from the national authorities. They allow only indirect identification of the statistical units concerned. Access to these data is only possible in the Eurostat SAFE Centre.
Scientific use files: anonymised microdata sets extracted from the data mentioned above. The individual statistical records have been modified to minimise, in accordance with current best practice, the risk of indirect identification of the statistical units to which they relate. This access is given via encrypted channels.
NUTS1 level (allowing units to be allocated regionally) is provided by countries on a voluntary basis and is available in the Safe Centre only. CIS data are not panel data. Therefore longitudinal analysis is, in general, not possible.
The implementation frameworks for the release of EU microdata for scientific purposes are defined in the Commission Regulation (EC) No 831/2002.
Please consult the documents available in the section “Annex” of this Metadata.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
National quality reports in single metadata format (SIMS) are produced under the provision of the current Regulation.
A Synthesis Quality Report CIS 2022 summarizing national reports will be drafted following the dissemination of national reports. Users interested in quality aspects of the previous surveys may refer to the CIS Synthesis Quality Reports available in the Annexes of metadata related to the previous waves.
11.1. Quality assurance
In accordance with Annex III to Commission Regulation No 995/2012, the provision of Quality Reports by each Member State is mandatory. This report includes key quality indicators such as non-response rates, coefficient of variation, etc.
The CIS Quality Reports that the countries must fill conform with the ESS (European Statistical System) Single Integrated Metadata Structure (SIMS).
Starting with 2018 data collection, the national quality reports are published online.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
A compliance assessment was conducted. The template contains four criteria:
Punctuality (compliance with transmission deadlines);
Completeness;
Other aspect of data quality.
Based on these criteria, countries could be awarded the following statuses:
Full compliance;
Minor non-compliance;
Serious non-compliance (but not yet persistent);
Serious and persistent non-compliance.
Punctuality of data transmission: 17 out of 27 Member States and two EFTA countries transmitted data within the deadline set by the Regulation. A further four EU countries sent data within the next two weeks.
Minor non-compliance was reported for five countries which sent data within the next eight weeks.
One serious (but not yet persistent) non-compliance for punctuality was due to a delayed transmission of final 2022 CIS data.
Completeness: it was required to send the data for 24,366 mandatory cells for the CIS 2022. 21 Member States provided the complete set of data. Minor non-compliance was discovered in the datasets for six EU Member States.
Other aspects of data quality: all national CIS data for EU Member States were considered being of good quality and disseminated on the Eurostat website.
A high degree of harmonisation in concepts and methods has been achieved through the adoption of Implementing regulation 2020/1197, the recommendations of the Oslo Manual for the compilation of innovation statistics and the development of CIS Harmonised Data Collection (HDC) questionnaires.
Countries may deviate from the HDC by introducing additional questions and/or modifying existing questions to satisfy specific national needs. The information on deviations from the Regulation and HDC is available in national quality reports - SIMS (available by the end of 2022).
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
All variables are assessed as to their relevance for and assessment of business innovation in the EU during the legislative process. All survey questions are intensively prior to the data collection, including two rounds of cognitive testing of all survey questions. The number of variables is limited to the necessary. An overview of the most important variables is provided in Section 3.1.
A user satisfaction survey is generally not carried out at the Eurostat level. However, some countries periodically conduct satisfaction surveys or receive user ad-hoc feedback.
Since 2024, Eurostat monitors the usage of European dissemination products and publications on CIS data and presents the results to the respective Expert Group (Working Group on Statistics about Science, Technology and Innovation).
12.3. Completeness
All the countries collected and mandatory indicators and transmitted them to Eurostat. See also section 11.2. “Quality management – assessment” – completeness.
The overview of availability of data by question included in HDC 2022 (including optional ones) is accessible in the Annex 1.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
The information will be available in national quality reports - SIMS (planned release by the end of 2025).
13.2. Sampling error
The information will be available in national quality reports - SIMS (planned release by the end of 2025).
13.3. Non-sampling error
The information will be available in national quality reports - SIMS (planned release by the end of 2025).
Eurostat disseminated mandatory CIS variables the 6th of December 2024 and voluntary variables on March 5, 2025.
For the very first time for this round CIS2022, selected basic indicators collected in the context of the ‘Fast Track’ data collection in t+15 were disseminated in Eurobase as preliminary data (flagged ‘p’) in t+19.
For the very first time for this round CIS2022, regional CIS data were disseminated in Eurobase as in t+27.
14.2. Punctuality
The majority of countries were punctual in delivering the CIS data to Eurostat.
Most countries conformed to the Regulation and transmitted the data by the requested time.
Overview of the timeliness of data provision:
19 countries – by the deadline or in the next 14 days;
5 countries – provided the data earlier than 70 days after the deadline;
1 country – provided data with a serious delay.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
To ensure comparability across countries, Eurostat, in close cooperation with the EU Member States and other countries, develops a standard core questionnaire (Harmonised Data Collection – HDC) for each CIS round, with an accompanying set of definitions and methodological recommendations.
The complete list of questions (and variables) included in all CIS waves since 1992 can be accessed via a virtual tool - CIS Questionnaire Library.
Most countries follow the proposed structure and filtering used in the HDC. In some instances, the questions on basic economic information are placed at the beginning of the national survey. It is recommended to extract the information related to enterprise identification (question 1), ‘Turnover’ and ‘Number of employees/persons employed’ from the Business Registers whenever possible.
Missing data for the NACE categories covered by the Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1092 may appear in the tables when the lack of an adequate number of observations does not permit appropriate data dissemination.
For some countries, certain definitions differ. The data points concerned are marked with a 'd' flag. Please consult the national metadata for more detailed information.
15.2. Comparability - over time
There has been no change involving designation as a ‘break in series’. However, some slight changes in the scope of the questionnaire should be noted, see section 3.1. “Data description”.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
The coherence between the CIS and the SBS statistics is overall satisfactory on those variables common to both statistical domains (Turnover, number of employed persons, number of enterprises).
15.4. Coherence - internal
No imputation has been done for missing countries’ data. However, some estimations have been required to derive ratios or EU aggregates.
Information is not available.
17.1. Data revision - policy
The general Eurostat revision policy applies to this domain. In principle, the disseminated data are final but might be revised in order to correct possible errors.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Reported errors are assessed for seriousness to determine whether they should trigger a correction of already disseminated data.
Reported errors are corrected in the disseminated data as soon as the correct data have been validated.
Historical data will not be reviewed (until CIS2018).
Data for particular CIS rounds may be published even if they are missing for certain countries or flagged as provisional or of low reliability for certain countries. They are replaced with final data once transmitted and validated. European aggregates are updated for consistency with new country data.
18.1. Source data
All aggregations and indicators presented in the CIS collections are based on national CIS data collections.
Most countries use a stratified sample survey to collect the data with a mix of census and sample survey. A few countries conduct a census of the whole target population or use stratified sampling of the whole target population. The target population is to be broken down into strata for sampling purposes. The stratification dimensions are usually firm size class of enterprises (according to the number of employed persons) and the NACE classification of economic activities. The NUTS geographical breakdown is sometimes also used. It is recommended to break down the size classes in at least 3 categories: 10-49 employed persons (small enterprises), 50-249 employed persons (medium-sized enterprises), 250 employed persons or more (large enterprises). Stratification by NACE Rev. 2 is generally done by 2-digit level (division) or groups of divisions.
The population of businesses used for the survey sample is mainly represented by the official Statistical Business Register.
For some variables (e.g. turnover, age of the enterprise) some countries use information from administrative sources.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
The frequency of the CIS is biennial.
18.3. Data collection
Eurostat collects aggregated data and microdata from countries every two years. At the national level, data are mainly collected via online or mail surveys. A few countries also choose other collection methods such as telephone (or face-to-face) interviews.
As required by the Regulation, countries transmit tabulated data according to the tabulation rules prepared by Eurostat. The data transmission system used since the CIS 2018 is based on SDMX standards and uses a common dictionary for all the variables and indicators. This system integrates the structural and content validation in the transmission step. Validated data are further processed to derive various aggregates and innovation indicators disseminated in the Eurobase CIS domain.
18.4. Data validation
Eurostat provides national authorities responsible for CIS data production with recommendations to assure the best quality of national micro and aggregated outputs. Quality controls at the Eurostat level consist of validation of tabulated national data according to domain-specific rules. The extensive structural and content checks are integrated into the production chain as a distinct module and are performed during the transmission step on a fully automated basis. In content validation, the checks verify the accuracy of totals, the intra- and inter-variable(s) consistency, and the coherence between dependent variables. Validation of data series is added on top of structural and content validation and aims at detecting currency issues or unusual variations of basic indicators. Validation reports are delivered to countries to report any deviation from the rules. The structural, content and data series validation takes place before final processing and derivation of ratio and aggregates. After this stage, a 4th check is performed – comparison of relative indicators among countries. This comparison complements previous validation rounds and is intended to spot outliers or unusual distributions of data.
18.5. Data compilation
At the national level, as in any regular sample survey, countries extrapolate the collected data with appropriate weighting schemes in order to obtain the population totals. At each survey round, national data producers compile the tabulated outputs according to Eurostat’s calculation rules and algorithms for a given round. After the data transmission to Eurostat, the compilation of data consists of assembling national data and deriving the ratio and European aggregates that are summed up from national data. Derived data are then disseminated in the Eurobase tables.
18.6. Adjustment
It is useful to consider a non-respondent survey if the total response rate is below 70 %. A non-respondent survey may also be useful for important strata with response rates below 70 %. Bias may also occur for response rates between 70 % and 95 % if there is evidence that non-responding units clearly deviate from responding units with respect to innovation (e.g., if non-responding units refrain from participating in the survey because they claim not to have an innovation). In this case, NSIs should examine whether non-response bias is likely when the response rate is between 70 % and 95 %. See European business statistics methodological manual for statistics on business innovation (Eurostat, 2024), pp. 123-125.
In the CIS surveys, some countries add extra questions for national purposes; similarly, some exclude some or all optional questions. This information is available in the national quality reports - SIMS.
The Community Innovation Survey (CIS) is a European data collection about business innovation. It provides information about innovation activities of enterprises, the environment enterprises operate in, and their ability to generate economic value by introducing new products or improving production processes or other business operations. The data collection informs about:
innovation activities;
implemented product innovations (goods or services new to the firm versus new to the market);
turnover from innovative products;
firm selling in foreign market (by markets);
implemented business process innovation (by kinds of business processes);
customisation and co-creation;
innovation cooperation;
issuing and use of Intellectual Property Rights;
resilience: risks faced by the enterprise and mitigating action taken;
innovation expenditure;
access to finance by kind of finance (equity versus credit) and usage for innovation activities;
access to public financial support by issuer of support and usage for innovation;
usage tax incentives or allowances;
purchase of innovative machinery and equipment;
group status of the enterprise;
age of the enterprise;
other aspects.
The CIS provides information on the above aspects broken down by
Innovation Profiles (type of the enterprise in view is innovativeness);
size class of enterprises (10-49; 50-249; 250+);
economic activity: business sectors (see section 3.6 for a description of the scope in terms of NACE categories and employment).
provides methodological guidance on concepts, definitions, data requirements and compilation methods;
explains the new legal basis within the framework of European Business Statistics;
relates to new challenges and possibilities in the compilation of CIS statistics;
presents information on selected national practices that could serve as good practices;
explains the new validation and quality rules, and the metadata reporting tools;
explains the concepts and methods of the updated data transmission rules to Eurostat.
The CIS was first launched in the 1990s and became a regular biennial data collection starting from CIS4 (2004) in the EU Member States, EFTA countries and EU candidate countries. Since its launch the CIS was based on the methodology laid down in the Oslo Manual — international standards for conceptualising and collecting data on innovation. First Oslo Manual was published in 1992. It has been revised on three occasions to take into account the experience and expand its measurement framework — in 1997, 2005 and in 2018.
For each survey round, Eurostat together with the countries develops a standard harmonized questionnaire – Harmonised Data Collection (HDC) – listing the mandatory and optional questions to be provided within a given round. The questionnaire includes the set of definitions and methodological recommendations to assure the comparability among countries. The CIS 2022 HDC is available in the Annex 1.
The following questions were new in the CIS 2022:
Reasons for not having more innovation activities or reasons for not having any innovation activities at all, depending on the innovation status of the enterprises (mandatory question).
Fundamental changes to the business model of the enterprise (optional question).
The following optional questions from the CIS2020 have been deleted in the CIS2022:
Effects of the legislation on the enterprises’ innovation activities;
Factors hampering the enterprises’ decision to start innovation activities.
Most statistics in the CIS 2022 refer to the three-year observation period 2020 to 2022. For example, enterprises are asked if they had any innovation activity during the period covering the years 2020, 2021 and 2022. If so, they are identified as ‘innovation-active’ in the CIS 2022. Only the data about turnover, expenditure, and employment relate to only one calendar year (the year 2022). All the other statistics refer to the whole observation period 2020 to 2022 (see details in the Annex 1).
The complete list of questions (and variables) included in all CIS waves since 1992 can be accessed via a virtual tool - CIS Questionnaire Library.
21 March 2025
The CIS provides information on business innovation (for more detail see section 3.1). The concepts used in the CIS are in line with the Oslo Manual (2018, 4th Edition), which is the internationally recognized standard methodology for collecting innovation statistics.
Main concepts and definitions used for the CIS data collection:
An innovation is a new or improved product or business process (or combination thereof) that differs significantly from the unit’s previous products or business processes and that has been made available to potential users (product) or brought into use by the enterprise (business process).
The minimum requirement for an innovation to occur is that the product or business process must be new or significantly improved to the enterprise. This includes products, and business processes that firms are the first to develop and those that have been adopted from other firms or organisations.
The Regulation defines the enterprise as the smallest combination of legal units that is an organisational unit producing goods or services, which benefits from a certain degree of autonomy in decision making, especially for the allocation of its current resources. It may carry out one or more activities at one or more locations, and it may be a combination of legal units, one single legal unit or part of a legal unit.
The population of the CIS is determined by the size of the enterprise and its main activity. In accordance with the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1092 on innovation statistics, all enterprises with 10 or more employed persons in NACE Sections B, C, D, E, H, J, K, and Divisions 46, 71, 72 and 73 are included in the statistical population. The number of employed persons is the sum of employees and self-employed persons.
The results of the CIS 2022 are published for EU Member States, Norway, and Türkiye.
Most statistics in the CIS 2022 refer to the three-year observation period 2020 to 2022. Only the data about turnover, expenditure, and employment relate to only one calendar year (the year 2022). All the other statistics refer to the whole observation period 2020 to 2022.
The Eurostat database (Eurobase), this metadata report and other methodological notes indicate by convention the year 2022 to refer to CIS2022 data, most of which cover the 2020-2022 observation period (with the exceptions mentioned above).
The information on the reference period of collected indicators is available in the Annex 1 of this Metadata file.
The information will be available in national quality reports - SIMS (planned release by the end of 2025).
CIS 2022 indicators are available according to 4 units of measure:
NR — Number. The number of enterprises and the number of persons employed.
THS_EUR — Thousands of euros. All financial variables are provided in thousands of euros, i.e., Turnover or Innovation expenditure.
PC — Percentage. The percentage is the ratio between the selected combinations of indicators.
At the national level, as in any regular sample survey, countries extrapolate the collected data with appropriate weighting schemes in order to obtain the population totals. At each survey round, national data producers compile the tabulated outputs according to Eurostat’s calculation rules and algorithms for a given round. After the data transmission to Eurostat, the compilation of data consists of assembling national data and deriving the ratio and European aggregates that are summed up from national data. Derived data are then disseminated in the Eurobase tables.
All aggregations and indicators presented in the CIS collections are based on national CIS data collections.
Most countries use a stratified sample survey to collect the data with a mix of census and sample survey. A few countries conduct a census of the whole target population or use stratified sampling of the whole target population. The target population is to be broken down into strata for sampling purposes. The stratification dimensions are usually firm size class of enterprises (according to the number of employed persons) and the NACE classification of economic activities. The NUTS geographical breakdown is sometimes also used. It is recommended to break down the size classes in at least 3 categories: 10-49 employed persons (small enterprises), 50-249 employed persons (medium-sized enterprises), 250 employed persons or more (large enterprises). Stratification by NACE Rev. 2 is generally done by 2-digit level (division) or groups of divisions.
The population of businesses used for the survey sample is mainly represented by the official Statistical Business Register.
For some variables (e.g. turnover, age of the enterprise) some countries use information from administrative sources.
Since 2004, the results of the Community Innovation Surveys have been disseminated every even year.
Eurostat disseminated mandatory CIS variables the 6th of December 2024 and voluntary variables on March 5, 2025.
For the very first time for this round CIS2022, selected basic indicators collected in the context of the ‘Fast Track’ data collection in t+15 were disseminated in Eurobase as preliminary data (flagged ‘p’) in t+19.
For the very first time for this round CIS2022, regional CIS data were disseminated in Eurobase as in t+27.
To ensure comparability across countries, Eurostat, in close cooperation with the EU Member States and other countries, develops a standard core questionnaire (Harmonised Data Collection – HDC) for each CIS round, with an accompanying set of definitions and methodological recommendations.
The complete list of questions (and variables) included in all CIS waves since 1992 can be accessed via a virtual tool - CIS Questionnaire Library.
Most countries follow the proposed structure and filtering used in the HDC. In some instances, the questions on basic economic information are placed at the beginning of the national survey. It is recommended to extract the information related to enterprise identification (question 1), ‘Turnover’ and ‘Number of employees/persons employed’ from the Business Registers whenever possible.
Missing data for the NACE categories covered by the Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1092 may appear in the tables when the lack of an adequate number of observations does not permit appropriate data dissemination.
For some countries, certain definitions differ. The data points concerned are marked with a 'd' flag. Please consult the national metadata for more detailed information.
There has been no change involving designation as a ‘break in series’. However, some slight changes in the scope of the questionnaire should be noted, see section 3.1. “Data description”.
