I came across this report while browsing one of my favourite sites, and thought it really interesting that a country like Denmark with a comparatively small population should rank so well amongst the 34 countries which were evaluated.
“Europe closes transatlantic innovation gap
Europe is gaining ground on the US in the field of innovation thanks mainly to Nordic countries leading the way.
The EU-US innovation gap has been decreasing year-on-year since 2003, according to a 2006 report. The latest version of the EU’s “innovation scoreboard” reveals it was the Danes, Finns, Germans and Swedes who were ahead of the pack, establishing themselves as world leaders in the field. The report also highlighted outstanding performance in life-long learning, with participation levels highest among the Swedish population at 35%, compared to Europe’s overall 11%.
And, what I also find very interesting is this comment:
“A survey by the EU’s statistical office Eurostat reveals that over 40% of European companies are actively innovating, more frequently in collaboration with customers and suppliers than with universities and public research institutes.”
Our very own Mikronet is an innovative concept – I wonder if it was noticed by the compilers of the survey….