These are the 20 most innovative countries in Europe Part 1

By Fernando Belinchón, From Business Insider

Microbiologist Ashley Paulick looks through a stereoscope to identify bacterium in a blood plate in an anaerobe lab within the Infectious Disease Laboratory at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Monday, Nov. 25, 2013, in Atlanta. Associated Press/David Goldman

Each year, the European Commission publishes a report on innovation, ranking the different EU member countries.
While this year has seen positive trends overall, the body has warned that more is needed to be vie for global competition.
Coming in fifth, the UK is doing reasonably well compared with other EU member countries.

Published with the aim of highlighting to EU member countries the areas which they ought to focus on improving, the European Commission has released its 2018 ranking on innovation in Europe.

The commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs Elzbieta Biénkowska commented on the rankings in a European Commission press release, saying: “The 2018 scoreboard shows again that Europe has a wealth of talent and entrepreneurial spirit, but we must do better at turning this excellence into success.”

Although Europe has managed to maintain its footing in terms of world innovation, China is fast closing the gap, with its rate of innovation growing up to three times faster than that of the EU. To produce the ranking, the Commission gives points based on a number of factors — including whether the country has an “innovation-friendly environment”, a country’s human capital, public expenditure on innovation and related investments made by private companies.

Below you can see Europe’s 20 most innovative countries, ranked from least innovative to most according to the innovation points assigned to them by the European Commission.

20. Lithuania: 71.1 points
Trakai, Lithuania. Flickr Creative Commons / specchio.nero
Innovation in human resources: 96.8 points.
Attractive research systems: 34.8 points.
Innovation-friendly environment: 123 points.
Finance and support for innovation: 59.4 points.
Investment in private sector innovation: 93.2 points.
Innovators: 92.6 points.
Synergy between public and private sector to innovate: 102 points.
Intellectual Assets: 51 points.
Employment: 39.3 points.
Exports and sales of innovative companies: 35.1 points.

19. Italy: 73.6 points
Pedro Szekely / Flickr Creative Commons
Innovation in human resources: 54.7 points.
Attractive research systems: 87.5 points.
Innovation-friendly environment: 63.2 points.
Finances and support for innovation: 55.1 points.
Investment in private sector innovation: 57.7 points.
Innovators: 105.6 points.
Synergy between public and private sector to innovate: 56.5 points.
Intellectual assets: 103.4 points.
Employment: 74.4 points.
Exports and sales of innovative companies: 74 points.

18. Cyprus: 76.5 points
Troodos Mountains, Cyprus. Flickr Creative Commons / Edi Weıssmann
Innovation in human resources: 95.7 points.
Attractive research systems: 104.4 points.
Innovation-friendly environment: 45.6 points.
Finance and support for innovation: 42.6 points.
Investment in private sector innovation: 54.2 points.
Innovators : 101.1 points.
Synergy between the public and private sectors to innovate: 59.8 points.
Intellectual Assets: 114.4 points.
Employment : 60.8 points.
Exports and sales of innovative companies: 73.1 points.

17. Estonia: 78.6 points
Catedral de Alejandro Nevsky, Tallin. Wikimedia Commons / Diego Delso
Innovation in human resources: 103.8 points.
Attractive research systems: 89.5 points.
Innovation-friendly environment: 103.8 points.
Finance and support for innovation: 89.6 points.
Investments in private sector innovation : 67.5 points.
Innovators: 28.3 points.
Synergy between the public and private sectors to innovate: 75.6 points.
Intellectual Assets: 110.6 points.
Employment: 74.5 points.
Exports and sales of innovative companies: 62.8 points.

16. Spain: 79.3 points
Flickr Creative Commons / Christian Jiménez
Innovation in human resources: 118.6 points.
Attractive research systems: 86.9 points.
Innovation-friendly environment: 107.3 points.
Finance and support for innovation: 80.2 points.
Investments in innovation from the private sector: 67.8 points.
Innovators: 42 points.
Synergy between the public and private sectors to innovate: 68.6 points.
Intellectual Assets: 72.2 points.
Employment: 90.2 points.
Exports and sales of innovative companies: 73.6 points.

15. Malta: 79.9 points
The Carmelite Church, in lower Valletta, as seen from Tigné Point, Sliema, Malta. Flickr Creative Commons / Joshua Zader
Innovation in human resources: 55.8 points.
Attractive research systems: 141.7 points.
Innovation-friendly environment: 123.6 points.
Finances and support for innovation: 6.9 points.
Investment in private sector innovation: 71.4 points.
Innovators: 79 points.
Synergy between the public and private sectors to innovate: 11.8 points.
Intellectual Assets: 166.8 points.
Employment: 139.7 points.
Exports and sales of innovative companies: 54.5 points.

14. Portugal: 80.5 points
The Castle Quinta da Regaleira, Portugal. Flickr Creative Commons / Susanne Nilsson
Innovation in human resources: 83.8 points.
Attractive research systems: 106.4 points.
Innovation-friendly environment: 133.2 points.
Finance and support for innovation: 65.1 points.
Investment in private sector innovation: 74.7 points.
Innovators: 116.1 points.
Synergy between the public and private sectors to innovate: 54.3 points.
Intellectual Assets: 73.4 points.
Employment: 82.3 points.
Exports and sales of innovative companies: 43.1 points.

13. Czech Republic: 82.3 points
Prague, Czech Republic. Flickr Creative Commons / Jorge Franganillo
Innovation in human resources: 78.4 points.
Attractive research systems: 72.5 points.
Innovation-friendly environment: 79.2 points.
Finance and support for innovation: 47.3 points.
Investment in private sector innovation: 103.9 points.
Innovators: 86.1 points.
Synergy between the public and private sectors to innovate: 77.6 points.
Intellectual Assets: 62.7 points.
Employment: 115.1 points.
Exports and sales of innovative companies: 94.8 points.

12. Slovenia: 92.2 points
Shutterstock/Nadezhda Kharitonova
Innovation in human resources: 143.6 points.
Attractive research systems: 90.2 points.
Innovation-friendly environment: 87.7 points.
Finance and support for innovation: 33.4 points.
Investments in innovation of the private sector: 121 points.
Innovators: 95.6 points.
Synergy between the public and private sectors to innovate: 112.3 points.
Intellectual Assets: 80.2 points.
Employment: 75.4 points.
Exports and sales of innovative companies: 75 points.

11. France: 109.2 points
Javier Vieras/Flickr
Innovation in human resources: 124.4 points.
Attractive research systems: 129.2 points.
Innovation-friendly environment: 101.5 points.
Finance and support for innovation: 141.3 points.
Investments in private sector innovation: 87.6 points.
Innovators: 121.4 points.
Synergy between the public and private sectors to innovate: 101.5 points.
Intellectual Assets: 86 points.
Employment: 92 points.
Exports and sales of innovative companies: 105.3 points.

For more on this country go to: http://www.businessinsider.com/here-are-the-20-most-innovative-countries-in-europe-2018-7