A Case Study on the Innovation Performance of EU Countries

Assuming the statement that innovation is a cornerstone of economic growth, the primary goal of this research is to assess innovation performance quantitatively and comparatively among European Member States. To this end, the study analysed data from the 2023 Global Innovation Index, categorizing it into two main sections: inputs and outputs. The findings highlight significant disparities in innovation performance among EU countries. Notably, 51% of the analysed countries evidence relatively efficient innovation performance, irrespective of their economic development levels. This indicates that certain nations are able to leverage their resources more effectively to generate innovative outcomes, thus providing valuable insights into best practices and potential areas for policy intervention. However, the study is limited by its focus on a single year and the partial perspective offered by Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The single-year analysis does not account for temporal trends and may overlook year-to-year variations in innovation activities. Furthermore, while DEA is a powerful tool for assessing relative efficiency, it may not fully capture the complexities of innovation processes across different national contexts.