Identifying ‘Super-Technology’ Industries

High-technology industries are those whose business activities are highly dependent upon innovation in science and technology; they are of interest because of their strong economic performance. Two metrics for identifying high-technology industries are: research intensity (total R&D expenditures divided by total sales) and total R&D expenditures. “Super-technology” industries rank highly on both these metrics. Sales data over a seven-year period indicate that high research intensity is the metric most closely associated with high growth, and that high total R&D expenditure is associated with average sales growth. Super-technology industries have more significant economic impact than high-research-intensity industries, and better sales performance than high-R&D-expenditure industries.