Innovation Union Competitiveness Report 2011

The executive summary is also available as a PDF in the languages below. Each file is approximately 1 MB in size.

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12 Key findings

1. The EU is slowly advancing towards its 3% R&D target - but there is a widening gap between the EU and its world competitors notably due to weaker business R&D investment 
2. The economic crisis has hit business R&D investments hard. However, as part of a counter-cyclic effort, many European countries are maintaining or increasing their levels of public R&D funding
3. Europe is host of a large and diversified pool of skilled human resources in particular in Science and Technology, which the business sector is not fully nor optimally making use of; in terms of new tertiary educated  graduates, China now weights as much as the EU, the United States and Japan combined
4. While remaining a top player in terms of knowledge production and scientific excellence, Europe is loosing ground as regards the exploitation of research results
5. Member States are introducing reforms to improve the functioning of the public research base and increase public-private cooperation - however knowledge transfer in Europe remains weak
6. The development of the ERA  underpins the evolution and efficiency of scientific activities in Europe
7. Europe is increasing its international cooperation in science and technology, while striving to catch up with the United States
8. The gender balance in the European research population is improving, but major research institutions continue to be predominantly led and managed by men
9. European SMEs are innovative but they do not grow sufficiently. The United States has shown a much better capacity to create and grow new companies in research-intensive sectors over the last 35 years  
10. Weaker framework conditions for business R&D and a fragmented European market for innovation are hampering private R&D investments and affecting the attractiveness of Europe 
11. Sustainable economic competitiveness in high knowledge-intensive sectors requires faster structural change in Europe
12. Europe has a strong potential in technological inventions for societal challenges and new global growth areas, which could be successfully brought to the market by implementing the comprehensive and integrated approach set out in Innovation Union