Press Release: Scoreboard shows more innovation needed in Europe

Most EU Member States until 2008 were steadily improving their innovation performance. The economic crisis may, however, be hampering this progress, according to the 2009 European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) published on 17 March 2010. Early indications show that the worst hit are Member States with lower levels of innovation performance, potentially reversing the convergence process witnessed over recent years. Meanwhile, the latest statistics show that the EU is having difficulty in catching up with the US in innovation performance, although it maintains a clear lead over the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China, despite rapid improvements in China.

European Commission: Memo: MEMO/10/82: The innovation performance in the EU Member States in 2009 http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/10/82&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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