In the latest report by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), “Innovation Capabilities Outlook 2026,” Latvia is highlighted among the countries that have, in recent years, succeeded in becoming more significant players in the global innovation system. WIPO emphasizes that this is particularly important at a time when the most complex innovation capabilities are becoming increasingly concentrated within a small group of countries worldwide.
In the report, Latvia is mentioned alongside countries such as Lithuania, Malta, Serbia, Morocco, Vietnam, Jordan and Kazakhstan — states that have successfully developed new innovation capabilities and integrated into the global innovation ecosystem.
The report concludes that over the past decade, the global spread of innovation capabilities has slowed, and technological competencies are becoming increasingly difficult for newcomers to attain. Therefore, Latvia’s inclusion among countries that have managed to strengthen their position on the global innovation map indicates an ability to develop scientific, entrepreneurial, technological or manufacturing competencies at an internationally competitive level.
At the same time, the authors note that long‑term success will not be determined by isolated innovation achievements, but by the ability to build increasingly complex and interconnected competencies. In the future, competitiveness will be driven by countries that not only generate new knowledge, but can also transform it into technologies, companies and export‑ready products.
WIPO experts also analysed the overall innovation system and trends in Europe. One of the key findings is that Europe struggles to successfully commercialize innovative products. The European innovation system has strong scientific and industrial foundations. European countries have accumulated extensive knowledge, research and manufacturing capabilities, yet these advantages do not always translate into patents, technologies or commercially successful products.
The analysis shows that Europe has particularly large untapped potential in complex technology fields — it holds strong positions in science and industry, but does not fully exploit its opportunities in areas such as electronics, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing systems, instruments and chemical technologies. Europe uses only about 63% of its expected technological potential, indicating difficulties in commercializing knowledge and transferring it to the market.
The authors conclude that Europe’s biggest challenge is not the creation of new knowledge, but the more effective transfer of technologies from laboratories to companies. This means strengthening technology‑transfer mechanisms, cooperation between science and industry, and improving companies’ ability to bring research results to market more quickly.
According to WIPO, European innovation policy needs a stronger focus on commercialization, as this is where most unused innovation opportunities arise. While Asian countries are increasingly successful at converting knowledge into technologies and business activity, Europe’s challenge is to ensure that its strong scientific base delivers greater economic returns.
A detailed study is available on the WIPO website.
