Prague – The most innovative countries in the EU are Sweden and Denmark, with the Czech Republic ranking 19th. The last of the 27 member states are Bulgaria and Romania. This is according to a report from the European Commission. According to it, innovation in the Czech Republic is hindered by a lack of state and private investment, insufficient cooperation between the academic sphere and entrepreneurs, and a low proportion of university-educated population. The Czech Republic is also minimally involved in available EU programs.
“The Czech Republic is at 80 percent of the EU average. What is alarming is mainly that over the last seven years we have practically not moved forward, and year-on-year we have even worsened by almost ten percentage points. In year-on-year comparison, we, along with Cyprus, have the largest decline in Europe. Innovation is a key factor for economic growth and competitiveness,” said David Kotrisdirector of enovation, a company that specializes in grant consulting.
According to him, the role of private investment funds should be the future engine of innovative growth. “The relationships between the academic and commercial worlds are still not at the level of developed countries, investors are not rushing into research yet, and on the other hand, academics often resist the entry of commercial investors,” he pointed out. While the Czech Republic is developing basic innovative capacities, systemic connection and development are lacking. This is reflected in the low technological development, shortage of quality people, low labor productivity, and still low number of university-educated individuals.
The Czech Republic is only marginally involved in international programs aimed at supporting research and development. At the beginning of the year, the Czech Republic, with a total of 1366 participations, accounted for 1.6 percent of all participations of EU member states. In the Czech Republic, there are 3.4 participations per 1000 scientists and engineers, which is below the average of Western Europe.
The study further states that among the strengths of the Czech Republic are above-average overall digital skills and a growing export of hi-tech products. Over the last ten years, business expenditures on research and development have also doubled. “Just under 100 billion is still too little compared to Europe; the role of private funds must be significantly larger and will be the main engine of growth in the future,” Kotris noted. (August 4)
