Commission Publishes: Science, Research & Innovation Performance of the EU 2024

Last week, the European Commission has published the 2024 edition of the Science, Research and Innovation (R&I) Performance report (SRIP). The SRIP report analyses the dynamics and drivers of research and innovation. It combines indicator-based analysis with in-depth explorations of relevant policy issues, targeting both research and innovation stakeholders as well as economics and finance policymakers and analysts. This is the fifth edition of this biennial publication. 

The report finds that EU investments in R&I have increased over the past two decades. This has significantly contributed to the EU's competitiveness in green technology and has enhanced the overall quality of EU research.

The report also highlights three main challenges for EU R&I: 

1. Underutilised R&I ecosystems: EU is a leading global player in scientific research but faces several obstacles in fully leveraging its rich R&I ecosystem. Sharp variations in research and development (R&D) efforts across Member States keep the 3% of GDP target out of reach.
2. Persistent R&I divide: R&I activities tend to concentrate in specific areas, a pattern that can be reinforced by providing support to the highest-performing activities and actors.
3. Technological gap compared to other regions of the world, also caused by the complexities in raising private sector investment for R&I at the EU level. While the EU has made strong progress with the green transition, there is still progress to be made in the digital area.