Sweden, Denmark, and Finland are leading EU innovators

Sweden, Denmark, and Finland are at the forefront when it comes to innovation in the European Union. This was noted by the European Commission in its annual Innovation Union Scoreboard survey for 2015. The survey measures the innovation capacity of Member States based on 25 indicators. The survey is intended to help the countries raise their capacity for innovation.

Compared with 2014, innovation capacity increased in 15 countries and decreased in 13. The countries with the fastest growing innovation capacity are Malta, Latvia, Ireland, Great Britain, and Poland.

Overall, the EU’s capacity for innovation is stable compared with last year. The Commission notes however that the economic crisis reduced innovation capacity in the private sector. The number of innovation companies decreased as did the number of patent applications and exports of high-tech products.

Read more about the Innovation Union Scoreboard.