The EU still has not learned basic lessons about innovation from its US competition. Professors Gunnar Landgren and Ramon Wyss, both instrumental in the formation of EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities, explain how to remedy the European innovation paradox

We recently received an approach from the US offering help to our university start-ups, by providing coaching, networks, venture capital and access to a truly unified market. The invitation started with an analysis of the European innovation system, pointing towards (well known) deficiencies of the regional perspective, shortage of early stage capital, risk adverse venture capital, limited access to global high tech companies, poor translation of scientific discoveries into innovative companies, and so on.

Image: Gunnar Landgren and Ramon Wyss; Photo credit: KTH