Innovation to weather the crisis or develop export sales

Between 2008 and 2010, roughly one-half of French firms with ten or more employees covered by the Innovation Survey innovated amid the economic crisis. The prime motive for innovation is to preserve or expand market share, notably by improving products. Export firms develop more innovations, particularly to create new products. The main factor inhibiting technological innovations, i.e., those that concern products or production processes, is cost. More companies innovated in 2008-2010 than in 2005-2007, but technological innovation has declined. The most common innovations are organizational.