Measuring Europe’s innovation gap / Radical action required right away

Two short features on aspects of innovation.

In the first the author writes ... Finally the message is getting through: growth and jobs are more than a priority; they are a necessity if Europe’s citizens are to have the kind of future they have come to expect. And amid the growing consensus is the realisation that more innovation is key to Europe’s companies becoming more competitive in a global environment. The analysis of national records in the latest European Innovation Scoreboard reveals a mixed picture with a few EU countries leading the world while others are falling increasingly behind. It also offers valuable lessons for policy makers wanting to address this critical situation.

In the second the author writes... In their report, “Creating an Innovative Europe”, issued in January 2006, an independent expert group states that current trends are unsustainable in the face of global competition and calls for a European pact for research and innovation, urging rapid, collective action and a new vision to address Europe’s productivity and social challenges.