Innovation report delivers 'wake-up call' for Europe: our summary

URL: https://sciencebusiness.net/news/horizon-europe/innovation-report-delivers-wake-call-europe

Key Takeaway

The latest European Innovation Scoreboard shows that while Europe’s innovation performance is stable, it is growing more slowly than China’s, and persistent geographical disparities within the EU require urgent action to maintain global competitiveness.

Summary

The European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) 2024 reveals that Europe’s innovation performance has grown by 10% since 2017, but at a slower pace than global competitors like China.
Innovation excellence remains concentrated in northern and western Europe, while southern and eastern EU countries still perform below the EU average.
The EU’s overall innovation performance increased by 0.5 percentage points compared to 2023.
Switzerland ranks as the most innovative European country, while South Korea leads globally.
China has surpassed Japan and is closing the gap with the EU, increasing its performance by 28.2 percentage points since 2017.
The EU excels in areas such as new doctorate graduates, international scientific co-publications, and public sector R&D expenditure.
Areas for improvement include private sector R&D expenditure, public-private co-publications, and trademark applications.
Germany experienced the most significant decline in performance, while Lithuania showed the biggest increase among EU members.
Estonia and Cyprus have shown impressive growth, becoming strong innovators.
The innovation divide between EU countries persists, with only slight convergence in the last seven years.
Experts call for more research and innovation funding at both EU and national levels.
There are debates about the future of the Widening programme and how to address the innovation divide within the EU.
The report suggests a need for a more ambitious and focused policy to improve the regulatory environment for innovation investment in Europe.
The European Innovation Scoreboard has been published annually since 2001, covering EU member states, neighboring European countries, and global competitors.