The Tasmanian Innovation Census (TIC) consists of a detailed company level survey of innovation activity in Tasmania, looking at the development and implementation of new products, production processes, organisational methods and markets. The TIC is distinct from other innovation surveys in that it aimed to survey the entire target population, rather than a sample of the target population, covering all firms with five or more employees across all sectors of the economy. The total number of in scope firms was 2807, of which 1591 responded, giving a response rate of 56.7%.

The first report from the Tasmanian Innovation Census project Innovation in Tasmania. An Innovation Census in an Australian was launched by the Premier David Bartlett on 8 August 2008 at Houston's Farm (view report). A methodology paper Technical and Methodological Issues in the Tasmanian Innovation Census is also available (view paper).

Ongoing Census based work at the AIRC includes progressive data analysis and exploration, designing and generating research projects and consultancies, designing next generation census work, and individual studies investigating the most intensive innovators, innovation and logistics, geographical distribution of innovation activities, and collaboration and research and development activities.

Tasmanian businesses have been very supportive of the project, and the Census databases provide a rich resource for future research and analysis.

During November and December 2009, technical work on TIC-related databases has been ongoing, and has added significant value to existing data assets.  This has included: completion of coding of qualitative responses from the TIC data for firm-identified 'most important innovations'; mapping of TIC industry codes to International ISIC industry codes, and coding TIC data to the OECD technology classification; firm population data maintenance work, including updating parts of the population, and developing a strategy for full population maintenance/updates in preparation for future survey work; investigating stratification of the existing population to provide more accurate estimates for financial data (that account for non-response).