Urban-Rural Innovation Divide: New Metrics Reveal Rural Regions Excel
Summary. New granular metrics reveal that while innovation activity concentrates in urban European regions, over 20% of rural areas outperform the EU average in R&D investment, patents, trademarks, and industrial designs. Rural excellence clusters around specialized industries, public research facilities, and proximity to urban innovation hubs, demonstrating that place-based policies recognizing territorial diversity can unlock rural innovation potential.
Details
- Countries
- European Union
- Regions
- Europe
- Categories
- regional-innovation-systems, rural-data-and-definitions, policy
- Added
- 2026-04-28