Data are key to measuring the impact of public policies and the development of societies and countries. Statistics provide accurate analysis and evidence of impact and return and thus guide decision-making and management actions. Data on innovation and knowledge in Southern Catalonia can help us to improve our region's competitiveness.
The Southern Catalonia Information System follows the methodology of the Regional Innovation Scoreboard (RIS), which measures innovation in European regions and provides a benchmarking analysis.
The RIS provides values for innovation indicators on a NUTS 2 level. In Spain, NUTS 2 refers to the autonomous community, while NUTS 3 refers to the province. The Southern Catalonia Information System provides data at NUTS 3 (i.e. provincial) level in order to measure the state of regional innovation.
The descriptive functions of each indicator are as follows:
- % of population aged 30-34 having completed tertiary education
This indicator measures the percentage of the population aged 30-34 who have completed tertiary education with advanced skills.
- % of population aged 25-64 participating in lifelong learning
This indicator measures the percentage of the population aged 25-64 who are participating in formal or non-formal learning activities to improve their knowledge and/or skills.
- No. of International scientific co-publications per million population
This indicator measures the number of scientific co-publications with at least one co-author based abroad. Collaboration in international scientific publications contributes to scientific quality and productivity.
- % of R&D expenditure in the public sector (% of GDP)
This indicator measures investment in R&D in the public higher education sector. Investment in R&D is one of the main drivers of economic growth and is essential for transitioning to a knowledge-based economy and society.
- % of R&D expenditure in the business sector (% of GDP)
Private R&D expenditure reflects knowledge generation within companies. This indicator measures R&D expenditure in the private sector and gauges its competitiveness and development.
- No. of public-private co-publications per million population
This indicator measures the number of public-private co-authored research publications. It reflects collaborative activities undertaken between public and private sector researchers (private health services are excluded).
- % of scientific publications among the top-10% most cited worldwide (% of total scientific publications of the region)
This indicator measures the number of scientific publications in the top 10% of the world's citations. It reflects quality of research.
- No. of patent applications (per billion GDP)
This indicator measures the number of patents registered at the European Patent Office (EPO) per year. It reflects the capacity of companies to develop new products, a factor which generates competitiveness.
- No. of trademark applications (per billion GDP)
This indicator measures the number of trademarks registered at the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). A trademark is a symbol used to launch a new product or service onto the market and an important indicator of innovation. Registering a trademark has legal effects at the European level.
- No. of design applications (per billion GDP)
This indicator measures the number of design applications registered at the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). It refers to the design of the product, that is to say, the outward resulting from the lines, contours, colours, shape, texture, materials and/or its ornamentation.
- % of the working population in high value-added sectors (per total workforce)
This indicator measures the number of people employed in high value-added sectors. Employment in high-tech sectors encourages creativity and boosts other innovative activities.
The value for each indicator ranges from 0 to 1, where 0 corresponds to the indicator's lowest value in any European region and 1 corresponds to the highest. The value for each indicator is therefore a measure of Southern Catalonia's relative position in relation to other European regions.