About

The European TrendChart on innovation policies is the longest running policy benchmarking tool at European level. Since its launch in 1999 it has produced annual reports on national innovation policy and governance, created a comprehensive database of national innovation policy measures and organised a series of policy benchmarking workshops.

The European innovation policy-monitoring database was first developed under a series of TrendChart contracts from the mid-1990s to early 2009 including policy analysis and thematic reports. The coverage was expanded towards research policy with the launch of the parallel ERAWATCH initiative in 2004. The two platforms operated as distinct but virtually integrated from 2007 onwards.

The databases of INNO Policy TrendChart and ERAWATCH have been merged and a joint Inventory of Research and Innovation Policy Measures has been created by the European Commission with the aim of facilitating access to research and innovation policies information within Europe and beyond. The INNO Policy TrendChart and ERAWATCH policy monitoring activities will be run as a single fully integrated operation by 2012.

The INNO Policy TrendChart and ERAWATCH operates a joint network of country correspondents, who regularly monitor the latest research and innovation policy developments in their country. INNO Policy TrendChart covers 48 countries including all EU Member States, associated countries and candidate countries, as well as the EU's main competitor countries throughout the world, notably:

- EU27 plus Croatia, Iceland and Turkey (candidate countries), Norway, Switzerland (EEA countries) and Brazil, China, India, Israel, Japan and the US (rest of world)

- as well as 10 new countries: Albania, Bosnia, Faroe Islands, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia and South Korea.

Their findings are summarised in an extensive inventory of research and innovation policy measures, policy documents and organisations in all participating countries and inform the analytical and thematic reports, which provide an in-depth analysis of the situation of innovation policy in the covered period.

The INNO Policy TrendChart is being run by the ERAWATCH NETWORK ASBL and is coordinated by Technopolis Group.