European Commission Data Reveals How European Innovation Is Fragmented

Europe continues to be deeply divided in the fields of research and especially innovation, according to a new European Commission analysis "Divided We Fall Behind", that seeks to quantify the continent's performance in comparison to the United States.

European policymakers have long been concerned that national regulations, fragmented systems, and linguistic and cultural differences hinder collaboration among researchers and innovators, as well as the growth of start-ups. In response, there has been a decade-long, yet still unfinished, effort to build a unified European Research Area (ERA). This initiative is now gaining renewed momentum through the introduction of a legally binding ERA Policy Agenda, aimed at achieving deeper integration across Europe’s research and innovation landscape.

However, this latest analysis—compiled by senior officials, analysts, and advisors to the European Commission—marks a fresh and data-driven attempt to quantify the extent of the fragmentation.

The analysis examines the volume of joint research publications and patents among different innovation hubs across Europe, including EU Member States, the UK, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. These figures are then benchmarked against similar collaboration patterns in the United States, offering a comparative view of how integrated—or divided—Europe’s innovation ecosystem truly is. 

When it comes to patents, Europe scores far lower than the US, measuring 0.4 versus 0.68 on a 0 to 1 scoring scale “The European research and innovation system shows considerable fragmentation,” the report warns, with collaboration often hemmed into national borders.  

The gap in integration between research collaboration and joint patenting likely stems from several key factors. While cross-border research tends to be more open and fluid by nature, joint innovation efforts often face significant hurdles due to differing national regulations, tax systems, and intellectual property frameworks. These legal and administrative barriers can create friction that hinders deeper cooperation in the development and commercialisation of new technologies.