Malta has reached a major milestone in innovation, earning ‘Strong Innovator’ status for the first time in the European Innovation Scoreboard.The latest assessment by the European Commission places Malta above the EU average for innovation, while retaining its 12th-place ranking among all EU Member States. The report also highlights Malta as one of the countries that has made the biggest improvements in innovation performance since 2019.Among Malta’s standout achievements are its performance in Intellectual Assets, where it ranks as one of Europe’s strongest performers, as well as significant gains in Resource and Labour Productivity Impact. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lovin Malta (@lovinmalta)The European Innovation Scoreboard evaluates countries across a range of areas, including research, digitalisation, investment, business innovation and economic impact.Malta had previously been classified as a Moderate Innovator, making this year’s promotion to the Strong Innovator category a significant step forward.Welcoming the result, Innovation Minister Clifton Grima said the recognition reflects Malta’s growing innovation ecosystem and should serve as motivation to continue supporting businesses, strengthening collaboration between academia and industry, and encouraging greater private investment in research and development.While celebrating the achievement, the report also notes that Malta still has room to grow, particularly in areas such as private R&D investment, venture capital and patent activity, with the government pledging to continue investing in research and innovation through Xjenza Malta and other initiatives.Do you think Malta is becoming a bigger hub for innovation?•