In the years 2018-2020, Polish enterprises have recorded the highest innovative activity in the history of measurement. According to the data of the Central Statistical Office, as much as 36.7% of industrial companies and 33% services showed innovative activity.

The share of innovatively active companies increased by 15% in industry and by 19.3% in services in comparison to 2017-2019 years. The largest share in the total number of enterprises introducing innovations had large entities – employing 250 people and more. Both in services and in industry categories, large enterprises most often implemented the modernization of business processes (58.1% and 61.1%, respectively).

The report shows that service enterprises spend more and more money on innovative activities. Last year, service companies spent PLN 18.4 billion, and in 2018 – PLN 13.1 billion expenditures on innovation. In industrial enterprises they decreased by PLN 3 billion over two years (2018-2020) and currently they amount to PLN 20.4 billion.

Service companies most often develop or improve the rules of operation within the company while industrial enterprises most often are focused on the methods of manufacturing products.

The authors of the report have noted that the COVID-19 pandemic may be responsible for the increase in innovative activity – including restrictions in the movement of workers that forced companies to accelerate the digital transformation process. For many sectors, it turned out to be a necessity to implement the cloud, enter e-commerce or offer teleworking. These technologies enabled to survive the lockdown.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński