In the latest report of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), “Innovation Capabilities Outlook 2026”, Latvia is mentioned among the countries that have managed in recent years to become more significant players in the global innovation system. WIPO emphasises that this is particularly important at a time when the most sophisticated innovation capabilities are becoming increasingly concentrated in a small circle of countries worldwide.

In the report, Latvia is mentioned alongside countries such as Lithuania, Malta, Serbia, Morocco, Viet Nam, Jordan and Kazakhstan, which have succeeded in developing new innovation capabilities and integrating into the global innovation ecosystem.

The report concludes that over the past decade the spread of innovation capabilities around the world has slowed down, and technological competences are becoming increasingly difficult for newcomers to attain. Latvia's inclusion among the countries that have managed to strengthen their positions on the global innovation map therefore attests to its ability to develop competences in science, entrepreneurship, technology or manufacturing at an internationally competitive level.

At the same time, the authors of the report point out that long-term success will be determined not by individual innovation achievements, but by the ability to build increasingly sophisticated and interconnected competences. In the future, competitiveness will be shaped by countries that not only create new knowledge but are able to turn it into technologies, enterprises and export-capable products.

WIPO experts have also analysed the overall innovation system and trends in Europe. One of the most significant conclusions is that Europe has difficulties in successfully commercialising innovative products. The European innovation system does not lack strong scientific and industrial foundations. European countries have accumulated extensive knowledge, research and manufacturing competences, yet these advantages do not always translate into patents, technologies and commercially successful products.

The analysis shows that Europe has a particularly large untapped potential in the fields of complex technologies – Europe holds strong positions in science and industry, yet it does not make full use of its opportunities in areas such as electronics, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing systems, instruments and chemical technologies. Europe uses only about 63% of its expected technological potential, which points to difficulties in commercialising knowledge and transferring it to the market.

The authors of the report conclude that Europe's greatest challenge is not the creation of new knowledge, but a more effective transfer of technologies from laboratories to enterprises. This means the need to strengthen technology transfer mechanisms, cooperation between science and industry, and the ability of enterprises to bring research results to the market more quickly.

In WIPO's assessment, European innovation policy needs a greater focus on commercialisation, because it is precisely at this stage that most of the untapped innovation opportunities arise. While Asian countries are ever more successfully turning knowledge into technologies and business, Europe's challenge is to ensure that its strong scientific base delivers a greater economic return.

The detailed report is available on the WIPO website.

Source: Patent Office of the Republic of Latvia (LRPV) | Date of original: 26 August 2026 | Original link: https://www.lrpv.gov.lv/lv/jaunums/wipo-zinojums-latvija-nostiprina-pozicijas-globalaja-inovaciju-ekosistema