On 15 July, the Commission released the newest bi-annual Regional Innovation Scoreboard (RIS). The RIS 2025 offers a comparative assessment of the performance of innovation systems across 241 regions in EU countries, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. It reveals an uneven regional landscape, with long-term improvements and a narrowing innovation gap between the top and bottom-performing regions. However, disparities between Northern and Southern Europe persist. Furthermore, the most innovative regions tend to be located in the most innovative countries, although some regional “pockets of excellence” are identified in countries with relatively lower innovation performance.

According to the report, overall, 233 out of 241 regions improved their innovation performance from 2018 to 2025, with an average increase of almost 12 percentage points - congratulations to all ERRIN members part of the group! However, 82 regions recorded a decline between 2023 and 2025. Northern and Western Europe dominate among top-performing regions. The most innovative region in Europe is Stockholm in Sweden, followed by Hovedstaden in Denmark, London in the United Kingdom, Zürich in Switzerland, and Oberbayern in Germany.

Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe continue to catch up, although some regions perform above the EU average, including Praha, Catalunya/Cataluña, País Vasco/Euskadi, Comunidad de Madrid, Comunidad Foral de Navarra and Comunitat Valenciana.

You may find the full RIS 2025 report and databases here. The official press release is available here.

The 2025 edition of the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) was also published on 15 July. The European Innovation Scoreboard provides a comparative assessment of the R&I performance of EU Member States, other European countries, and global competitors. It helps countries assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of their national innovation systems and identify challenges that need to be addressed. The EU's innovation performance has made steady long–term progress, increasing by 12.6% since 2018. Over this period, all EU Member States have increased their innovation performance, although the extent to which they have improved varies. Between 2024 and 2025, the EU's innovation performance declined marginally by 0.4%. More specifically, innovation performance increased in 13 Member States during this period, while 14 Member States experienced a decline.