According to this year's report, Serbia has retained its status as an Emerging Innovator and, with an innovation performance score reaching 60.4% of the EU average, ranks 30th among the EU Member States and other countries included in the analysis.

The European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) assesses national innovation systems through 32 indicators covering various dimensions, including human resources, the attractiveness of research systems, digitalisation, research and development (R&D) funding, business investment in innovation, collaboration between science and industry, and the economic impact of innovation activities.

The report identifies Serbia's relative strengths in the innovation activities of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and employment in innovative enterprises. At the same time, further efforts are needed in areas such as high-tech investment, intellectual property protection, and productivity growth, representing significant potential for the continued development of the national innovation system.

At the European Union level, innovation performance continues to improve. According to the European Innovation Scoreboard 2026, the EU's overall innovation performance has increased by 11.6 percentage points compared to 2019 and by 1.7 percentage points compared to 2025. Once again, Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands remain the top-performing countries, maintaining their positions as Innovation Leaders.

The European Innovation Scoreboard is an important tool for monitoring the development of national innovation systems and for shaping policies aimed at strengthening competitiveness, fostering sustainable economic growth, and advancing a knowledge-based economy.

The full European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) 2026, the Country Profile for the Republic of Serbia, and the accompanying statistical data are available on the European Commission's website.