The European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) is an annual publication by the European Commission that provides a comparative assessment of the innovation performance of EU Member States, neighbouring European countries and selected global competitors. The report includes 32 indicators which are aggregated to four main categories: framework conditions, investments, innovation activities and the impact of innovation. The score for each indicator represents a percentage relative to the EU average in 2024.
Within Europe, Switzerland leads the ranking as the most innovative country with a performance at 138.4% of the EU average. However, Europe is catching up fast. While it has experienced an upward trend of 10% since 2017, Switzerland’s performance has grown moderately with an increase of 1.3%. Europe’s most dynamic countries were Estonia and Cyprus which saw an impressive increase of 27% and 39% respectively.
Innovation in Switzerland is built on robust framework conditions
Above all, the favourable framework conditions have contributed to Switzerland’s success. Due to its strong academic institutions, it achieved the highest score in the “attractive research systems” indicator, performing at 217.7% of the EU average. This strong foundation has enabled Switzerland to collaborate with foreign institutions, which is reflected in a high degree of co-publications and a significant percentage of foreign doctorate students in Switzerland. This enhances the quality of scientific research and ensures a steady flow of knowledge, thereby driving innovation in the country.
Moreover, in the “human resources” indicator, Switzerland performed at 186.9% of the EU average. This success can be attributed to a high number of new doctorate graduates in STEM fields, underscoring the integral role of human capital within Switzerland's robust framework conditions for innovation.
Innovation activities and Investments are contributing to Switzerland’s success
Also, strong innovation activities have contributed to Switzerland’s success. In the “intellectual assets” indicator, it has reached the highest score, performing at 152% of the EU average. This is attributed to a high density of patent, trademark, and design applications, which are key components of innovation.
In terms of Investments, Switzerland is less strong. Venture capital expenditures are at 107.3%, just above the EU average. Nevertheless, this indicator is catching up fast and has increased by 54.5% since 2017.
Nordic countries in the Top 5
Close behind Switzerland, the top five ranks are filled by Denmark, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands. The mayor European economies such as the UK, Germany and France are ranked at 9th, 12th, and 15th, respectively, all still above the European average.
There are a few areas where Switzerland is still lagging behind the European Union. Direct and indirect government support for business R&D was only 18.2% of the EU average, placing Switzerland in the lowest percentile for this indicator. Support can either be directed through grants and public procurement or through the tax system and can incentivize innovation in R&D.
In environment-related technologies, the country has shown poor performance. At 42.4%, it ranks among the lowest ten countries for this indicator. Additionally, it has experienced a significant decrease in environment-related inventions compared to 2017.
ETH Zurich best European university
The latest QS World University Rankings: Europe 25 was published virtually simultaneously with the new edition of the Innovation Scoreboard. It impressively confirmed the good research in Switzerland, with ETH Zurich at the very top, ahead of the well-known British universities. EPFL made it to 10th place. The top 100 also includes the universities of Zurich (36), Geneva (53), Basel (80) and Bern (84).
(Press release / BK)