The European Innovation Scoreboard has recently been published, providing a comparative analysis of innovation performance across European Union member states and neighbouring countries.

The scoreboard aims to assess the strengths and weaknesses of national innovation systems and to assist countries in identifying areas where improvement is required.

The 2019 edition introduces a refined analytical framework that allows for the analysis and comparison of structural differences between countries. The report reveals that the EU's innovation performance continues to rise—driven primarily by improvements in the innovation-friendly environment, human resources, and investment in resources—though progress remains uneven across the Union.

Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and the Netherlands are the EU's innovation leaders, followed by France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Estonia, Belgium, and Luxembourg, which comprise the group of "strong innovators".

The new scoreboard confirms that Europe's most innovative regions are located within its most innovative countries. The most innovative region in the EU is Helsinki-Uusimaa in Finland, followed by Stockholm in Sweden and Hovedstaden (Copenhagen) in Denmark. Regarding the Lombardy Region, which is classified as a "Moderate + Innovator", a positive improvement in overall performance has been recorded over time (+8%), with the region exceeding the EU average in terms of SMEs innovating in-house and innovations in products and/or production processes.

Globally, the EU continues to lag behind South Korea, Canada, Australia, and Japan, though it has overtaken the United States compared to last year. China is closing the gap with an innovation performance growth rate twice that of the EU, while the European Union's performance lead over Brazil, India, Russia, and South Africa remains significant.

For further information on Italy's performanceclick here

For further information on the European Innovation Scoreboard click here

For further information on regional performance click here