Innovation Europe > News > Innovation EU Vol1-1 > Malta

It exhibits an uneven performance in the five dimensions of indicators analysed, resulting in imbalances in the national innovation system and accounting for its overall performance. It is an Innovation Leader in Applications, recording the highest high-tech exports and sales of new-to-market products. It is ahead of the EU-25 in terms of e-government online availability, with 75% of 20 basic public services available online as opposed to the EU 25’s 51%.

Its weaknesses lie in the input indicators with its performance in innovation drivers and knowledge creation generally below the EU average. However, the cluster Membership Analysis undertaken by the EIS over the period 2003–2007 reveals Malta’s innovation performance has shown a positive upturn in these five years and leans towards taking the country from a “catching up” mode towards achieving a ‘moderate innovator’ status, together with Cyprus. However, in 2007 Malta did not achieve significant enough progress in innovation indicators when compared to its peer countries (typically Cyprus which has shown more positive growth for the same year); so that the innovation gap with moderate innovator countries is tending to widen.

Main innovation challenges

• Developing a Human Resource Base, with skills in science, research and innovation.
• Sustaining enhanced investments in business R&D and encouraging innovation of SMEs.
• Improving the national statistical framework to better capture innovation progress.

Action

National research and innovation policy is very much geared towards attaining increased economic competitiveness and the government has identified specific sectors including ICT, financial services, tourism, healthcare and education, where Malta could emerge as a centre of excellence in the Mediterranean. The link between research and innovation and economic growth appears strongly in a number of strategic documents, including the National Reform Programme, the National Strategic Plan for Research & Innovation and the Pre-Budget Document 2006–2010 For a Better Quality of Life. Innovation policy needs to: 

• Develop and implement a stand-alone national innovation policy that meets the specific contextual requirements of local industry in the policies and measures it supports.
• Draft sector-specific innovation policies, strategies and measures to pilot growth in niche sectors and markets of the innovation system.
• Develop an appropriate innovation policy coordination framework with suitable governance structures in order to ensure appropriate and timely implementation.
• Develop an appropriate policy mix that takes into account Malta’s specific needs as a small country.

For more on Malta’s R&D package for
enterprises go to:
http://support.maltaenterprise.com/rd
and for comprehensive information on
the whole incentive regime offered by
Malta go to:
http://support.maltaenterprise.com