The New European Innovation Agenda underscores the importance of accurate monitoring and evaluation as the cornerstone of effective innovation policies. It emphasises that policies at both the EU and national levels must keep pace with the ever-changing nature of innovation to maintain their relevance. At present, the innovation policy landscape is fragmented, with differing definitions of key terms concerning start-ups, scale-ups, and deep tech companies. This lack of harmonisation in data makes it challenging to measure and compare performance, highlighting the need for more cohesive approaches to policy-making and data integration.
The European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) have enlisted 4FRONT (lead), Visionary Analytics, and EFIS Centre, together with OneTandem and Dealroom.co for the exploratory study “Towards a Pilot European Start-up Scoreboard”. The study aims to guide the process of selecting fit-for-purpose, operational concept definitions and indicators for a European Startup Scoreboard (ESS). ESS will complement the European Innovation Scoreboard, the Regional Innovation Scoreboard, and the Eco-Innovation Scoreboard.
The consortium has several activities in progress and planned to support the study, including creation of common definitions and conceptual framework, identification of indicators and data, production of pilot ESS and its analysis. Visionary Analytics will be responsible for developing composite ESS indicator, as well as data screening and collection.
Visionary Analytics is excited to be part of this study as The European Startup Scoreboard will play a pivotal role in enhancing the understanding of start-up and scale-up performance across Europe. By complementing existing scoreboards, it will provide valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and innovators. This initiative aims to support evidence-based decision-making and strengthen the innovation ecosystem within the EU, associated and 3rd countries, fostering growth and competitiveness in the start-up landscape.
Involvement in the preparation of the European Start-up Scoreboard will strengthen VA’s extensive experience in developing monitoring systems, including the European Innovation Scoreboard, the Regional Innovation Scoreboard, and ERA monitoring indicators, which we are currently working on.
