Oslo Manual 2018
Guidelines for Collecting, Reporting and Using Data on Innovation, 4th Edition

What is innovation and how should it be measured? Understanding the scale of innovation activities, the characteristics of innovative firms and the internal and systemic factors that can influence innovation is a prerequisite for the pursuit and analysis of policies aimed at fostering innovation. First published in 1992, the Oslo Manual is the international reference guide for collecting and using data on innovation. In this fourth edition, the manual has been updated to take into account a broader range of innovation-related phenomena as well as the experience gained from recent rounds of innovation surveys in OECD countries and partner economies and organisations.
Also available in: French, Lithuanian
Concepts for measuring innovation
This chapter provides the context and key foundations for innovation measurement underpinning this manual. It describes major perspectives and theories of innovation, user needs for innovation data, a framework for innovation measurement, and different approaches to measuring innovation. Although this manual focuses on the measurement of innovation in the Business enterprise sector, this chapter provides a general definition of innovation that applies to all sectors and discusses the measurement of innovation in both the Business enterprise sector and in other sectors.
Also available in: French