Glossary:Innovation output indicator (IOI)

The Innovation Output Indicator (IOI) measures the extent to which ideas from innovative sectors are able to reach the market, providing better jobs and making Europe more competitive. The IOI complements the R&D intensity indicator, the Commission's Innovation Union Scoreboard (IUS) and the Summary Innovation Index (SII) by focusing on innovation output.

The Innovation Output Indicator was developed by the Commission at the request of the European Council. It was presented for the first time in a Communication and a Staff Working Document adopted by the Commission on the 13th of September 2013. In 2014, an update followed as part of the 2014 Commission Report on Innovation Union progress at country level.

The IOI is a composite of four indicators chosen for their policy relevance, data quality, International availability, cross-country comparability and robustness. Its four components are:

• Technological innovation as measured by patents;
• Employment in knowledge-intensive activities as a percentage of total employment;
• Competitiveness of knowledge-intensive goods and services, based on both the contribution of the trade balance of high-tech and medium-tech products to the total trade balance and the knowledge-intensive services as a share of the total services exports;
• Employment in fast-growing firms of innovative sectors

Related concepts

• Research and development (R & D)
• R & D intensity
• Innovation union scoreboard (IUS)

Source

• The Innovation Output Indicator 2014 – Methodology Report
• Commission staff working document, Developing an indicator of innovation output Accompanying the document, Measuring innovation output in Europe: towards a new indicator, COM (2013) 624 final