The Czech Republic lags behind in innovation

In the European Innovation Scoreboard 2025, the Czech Republic ranks among "moderate innovators" with a performance between 70% and 100% of the EU average. It ranked 19th in this year's ranking of EU member states, while in 2024 it was three places higher. This decline contrasts with a number of countries that are maintaining or gradually improving their position. According to the study, innovation in the Czech Republic is hampered by a lack of investment from the state and private investors, insufficient cooperation between academia and entrepreneurs, and a low proportion of the population with higher education. The Czech Republic also participates little in available EU programs, thereby missing out on opportunities to gain not only funding but also international experience and know-how.

These problems are confirmed by the Supreme Audit Office, which pointed out that despite nearly CZK 30 billion invested by the state in 2021–2023, Czech research still lags behind. Since 2019, the number of patents has fallen significantly, and citations of research results are less than half the European average. The Supreme Audit Office criticizes the fragmentation of the support system and weak coordination, as well as the lack of connection between basic and applied research.

While the Czech Republic is stagnating, Poland, Croatia, and Slovenia are growing thanks to systematic investments in digitization, support for startups, and strategic research. These examples show that innovation leaps are not limited to the economically strongest countries, but require coordinated policies, clear priorities, and long-term support.

Increasing funding alone is not enough—the Czech Republic needs to reform its innovation support system, make targeted investments in areas with high potential, and strengthen the links between academia, business, and the state. Without this, it risks remaining merely a user of technologies developed elsewhere, rather than a creator of them. Advanced and effective research and development is one of the main pillars of long-term economic growth and prosperity in the country, which also makes it possible to increase competitiveness and the standard of living of the population.