The European Commission has published the European Innovation Scoreboard 2026, showing renewed momentum in Europe’s innovation performance and underlining the importance of innovation for competitiveness, resilience and strategic autonomy. The findings provide a timely context for European projects such as SCIMIN-CRM, which is working to advance innovation in the field of critical raw materials.
The European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) 2026 reveals that the EU’s innovation performance increased by 1.7 percentage points between 2025 and 2026, following a year of slower growth. Looking at the longer-term trend, all EU Member States have improved their innovation performance compared with 2019, although significant differences remain between countries. The European Commission presents innovation as a key factor in strengthening Europe’s competitiveness and economic security at a time of rapid technological change and growing international competition.
The new Scoreboard also draws attention to the vulnerabilities exposed by recent disruptions in raw materials, advanced technologies and other critical inputs. Strengthening innovation can help Europe respond to these challenges by developing alternatives to scarce resources, improving resource efficiency, reinforcing technological capabilities and diversifying sources of supply. These challenges are directly relevant to the context in which the SCIMIN-CRM project operates.
Funded by the European Commission through Horizon Europe and led by ANEFA, SCIMIN-CRM contributes to this European innovation effort by promoting cooperation and the development of new solutions in the field of critical raw materials. Its collaborative approach reflects one of the principles highlighted by the EIS: successful innovation depends not only on generating knowledge, but also on strengthening links between different actors and transforming inventions and research results into solutions with practical and market potential.
The publication of the European Innovation Scoreboard 2026 reinforces the importance of continuing to invest in collaborative research and innovation across Europe. By supporting projects such as SCIMIN-CRM, Horizon Europe helps turn European research capacity into solutions that can improve resource efficiency, strengthen value chains and reduce strategic dependencies, contributing to a more competitive, sustainable and resilient Europe.
