The European Commission has published its 2017 edition of the European Innovation Scoreboard; overall, the European Union's innovation performance improved further, partially catching up with the United States and Canada.
Luxembourg ranks 8th, well above the European average. Luxembourg is described as a "strong innovator". Thus, innovation performance improved by 1.4% compared to 2010. The European Commission particularly mentions the attractiveness of the Luxembourg research system, calling it the European leader. Luxembourg was singled out as a leader in "attractive research systems and registration of intellectual assets".
Marc Hansen, Minister for Higher Education and Research, particularly welcomed this first European position of the Luxembourg research system, and stated "It is the fruit of long-term work and the result of a a highly engaged government policy aimed at building a strong and sustainable research ecosystem at the service of society and the economy. The reforms of recent years, based on the recommendations of two OECD evaluations, are beginning to bear fruit and I am convinced that the national research system will be able to unleash its full potential in the years to come."
