National Manufacturing Innovation Survey (NMIS) 2021-22

The “National Manufacturing Innovation Survey (NMIS) 2021-22: Summary for Policymakers” was released recently. The objective of the NMIS study was to evaluate the innovation performance of manufacturing firms in India. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) jointly conducted this survey.

Examining innovation processes and outcomes

The NMIS survey examined the innovation processes, outcomes, and barriers in manufacturing firms and studied the innovation ecosystem that affects innovation outcomes in these firms. The findings offer wide-ranging insights into the enabling activities and barriers to innovation by firms and how states and sectors have performed with respect to the manufacturing firms’ ability to produce new products, services, and business processes.

Benefits of implementing innovation

Over 80% of firms that successfully implemented an innovation in the observation period reported significant benefits in expanding markets and production and reducing costs.

Firm-level and Sectorial System of Innovation (SSI) surveys

The NMIS 2021-22 survey consisted of two distinct components, namely the firm-level survey and the sectorial systems of innovation (SSI) survey. A total of 8,087 firms participated in the firm-level survey, while 5,488 firms and non-firms took part in the SSI survey. The SSI survey aimed to delineate the manufacturing innovation system and its role in promoting innovations in firms. It assessed the interactions among stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem, the challenges hindering innovation, and the degree of alignment or divergence of prevailing policy instruments in five crucial manufacturing sectors that are essential to the Indian economy, namely textiles, food & beverage, automotive, pharma, and ICT.

Contributing to strengthening manufacturing value-chains

The NMIS study’s contribution is to strengthen the baselines to some of the capacities and capabilities, opportunities, and challenges in the manufacturing value-chains that require immediate attention. Policymakers, researchers, and practitioners in the field of innovation and economic development would find the detailed analysis of the survey results valuable.

Month: Current Affairs - May, 2023