Innovation in the portuguese health sector organizations: empirical evidence from the community innovation survey

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to analyze the innovation on the Portuguese healthcare sector organizations.

In this study, we followed a quantitative approach, combining statistical and documental analysis, through the Community Innovation Survey (CIS) data analysis and processing, thus performing an exploratory, descriptive and transversal study.

The healthcare sector reveals dynamism in introducing products that are new to the market and the company, mainly through a closed innovation process. External cooperation is preferably R&D-oriented, and there is low involvement of market agents in R&D activities, through partnerships. However, these are seen as an important source of information and organizations seek to meet their needs. Different types of organizations adopt different innovation strategies, depending on their market and current situation, which translates into a contextual innovation policy, in line with the current theoretical developments.