KfW SME Innovation Report 2022

Innovator rate fell in the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has left its imprint on the innovation activity of small and medium-sized enterprises. The key findings of the current report are:

• The innovator rate in the SME sector dropped to 40%
• At EUR 33.9 billion, innovation expenditure in 2021 remained steady from the previous year
• The proportion of innovative enterprises grows with the size of the company
• Easing the skilled labour shortage is key to more innovation

KfW SME Innovationsbericht 2022(PDF, 1 MB, accessible)

Press release