Innovation Activity and its Sources in Industry in the West Pomerania Province

Abstract

Research background: Innovation activities, especially the implementation of new products and processes are desirable phenomena in economic development. For this reason, phenomena that contribute to the implementation of new solutions in enterprises should be identified. These include sources of innovation activity. Purpose: The main purpose of the article is to identify those sources of innovation activity that significantly affect product and process innovation. Research methodology: The research of the impact of sources of ideas and information for innovation on the implementation of product and process innovations was conducted in 2018 for the period 2015–2017 in the West Pomerania Province. The study was representative. It was attended by 270 entrepreneurs whose business profile corresponds to section C PKD (Polish Business Classification) – manufacturing. Logit modeling was used in the study. Results: As a result of the analyses it was noticed that in the region the implementation of process innovations was significantly influenced by foreign R&D centres, suppliers (but only when entrepreneurs began to cooperate with them), as well as by conferences, fairs and exhibitions. In the case of product innovations, internal resources were included in this group. Novelty: In the analyzed region, no advanced econometric analysis of the impact of sources of innovative activity on product and process innovations that would be representative was carried out.