Search
This study provides the results of the 2025 edition of the Regional Innovation Scoreboard (RIS). The 12th edition of the RIS offers a comparative assessment of the research and innovation performance of 241 regions in 22 EU Member States, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Five countries (Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg, and Malta) are included in the RIS only at the country level. The RIS is a regional extension of the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) and it is based on 23 out of the 32 EIS indicators.
The inclusion of Serbia in the Regional Innovation Scoreboard 2025 underlines the country’s ongoing alignment with the European Research Area (ERA) objectives and provides a valuable benchmark for policy learning within the Western Balkans. This evidence-based mapping contributes to the understanding of how the region’s innovation ecosystems are evolving and where policy efforts could further support convergence towards EU averages.
Serbia continues to be part of the comparative dataset, confirming its integration into the broader European innovation monitoring framework. The results indicate that Serbia maintains a steady performance within the Emerging Innovators group, showing improvements in several indicators linked to human resources, innovation linkages and the digital transition of enterprises. Regional variations within Serbia also highlight progress in areas with stronger university-industry cooperation and access to EU-funded innovation programmes. Belgrade stands out as Serbia’s most dynamic innovation region, performing notably above the national average, with strong research intensity, a dense concentration of knowledge institutions, and increasing collaboration with international partners.
For other Western Balkans economies to be included in the RIS regional breakdown it will be important for them to increase consistent data availability on regional-level (NUTS-level regions) harmonised with Eurostat’s classifications.
Here are some highlights from the Serbian perspective:
Further screenshots higlighting some strengths of the Serbian ecosystem.
For more information, please download the document from the source page: Regional Innovation Scoreboard 2025 – Publications Office of the EU