European Innovation Scoreboard 2026: strengthening innovation capacity across Europe
EITThe recently published European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) 2026 shows that Europe’s innovation performance is improving, but that significant regional gaps remain. Addressing them will require stronger links between local talent, skills, investment and markets – precisely the connections that the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) and the wider EIT Community are designed to support.
The EIS measures and compares the research and innovation performance of EU Member States and a number of non-EU countries. Published annually by the European Commission, it gives governments and policymakers a clear picture of each country’s innovation strengths and weaknesses and how its performance compares with that of others.
The 2026 edition of the Scoreboard was published on 9 July 2026, and its findings provide useful context for the EIT’s work to strengthen innovation ecosystems by connecting business, education and research and supporting innovators across Europe.
How EU Member States are classified
As in previous editions, the EIS 2026 categorises Member States into four groups:
- Innovation Leaders, with performance above 125% of the EU average;
- Strong Innovators, with performance between 100 and 125%;
- Moderate Innovators, with performance between 70 and 100%;
- Emerging Innovators, with performance below 70%.
Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands continue to lead as Innovation Leaders, while Finland remains in fourth position. Malta recorded the strongest year-on-year improvement of any Member State, increasing its score by 15.7 percentage points and moving from the Moderate Innovators group to the Strong Innovators group.
Europe’s innovation performance continues to improve
Europe’s innovation performance continues to improve steadily. According to the 2026 EIS, the EU’s innovation performance increased by 11.6 percentage points between 2019 and 2026. It also rose by 1.7 percentage points between 2025 and 2026, following slower growth in the previous year.
All EU Member States have improved their innovation performance since 2019, with the most significant improvements recorded in Estonia (+19.8 percentage points), Lithuania (+19.7 percentage points), Poland (+16.3 percentage points), Italy (+15.0 percentage points), Greece (+14.6 percentage points) and Spain (+14.1 percentage points). However, the scale of progress varies significantly across countries, ranging from an increase of 0.5 percentage points in Luxembourg to 19.8 percentage points in Estonia. Twelve Member States improved by more than the EU overall, while 15 recorded smaller increases. This uneven picture underlines the importance of strengthening innovation capacity where performance remains below the EU average.
How the EIT helps close innovation gaps
The differences identified by the Scoreboard reinforce the importance of targeted, place-based support for regional innovation ecosystems. Closing these gaps is a central objective of the EIT RIS.
Launched in 2014, EIT RIS provides innovators in Moderate and Emerging Innovator countries, as well as the EU’s Outermost Regions, with place-based access to EIT activities and tailored support. Eligibility is linked to the European Innovation Scoreboard, with countries required to have been classified as Moderate or Emerging Innovators in at least one recent edition to qualify.
Between 2021 and 2025, EIT activities reached nearly 382 000 RIS participants through education and training and created or supported more than 6 300 RIS-based start-ups. They also helped launch more than 900 RIS innovations on the market, while EIT-supported startups based in the RIS area attracted approximately €1.86 billion in investment.
Through its network of EIT Community Hubs, the EIT connects local entrepreneurs, universities, researchers, businesses and public authorities with expertise, partners, skills programmes, funding opportunities and markets across Europe. Across the EIT Community, programmes and initiatives such as EIT Jumpstarter and the EIT Regional Innovation Booster support innovators at different stages, providing a pathway from skills development and early-stage ideas to venture growth, investment and market access.
Turning innovation potential into stronger performance
The 2026 Scoreboard makes clear that improving Europe’s overall innovation performance is not enough on its own: progress must also reach countries and regions where innovation capacity remains weaker. By connecting local innovators with expertise, skills, partners, funding and markets, EIT RIS helps turn local potential into stronger, more connected innovation ecosystems.
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