{"id":50228,"date":"2025-07-19T06:43:07","date_gmt":"2025-07-19T05:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/?p=50228"},"modified":"2025-07-19T06:43:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T05:43:07","slug":"maltas-economic-policy-and-strategic-leadership-yielding-strong-innovation-result","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/19\/maltas-economic-policy-and-strategic-leadership-yielding-strong-innovation-result\/","title":{"rendered":"Malta\u2019s economic policy and strategic leadership yielding strong innovation result"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Malta\u2019s innovation performance has improved dramatically over the past seven years, confirming that the government\u2019s long-term economic strategy is delivering results. According to the latest European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS), Malta has registered a +16.7-point increase in its overall innovation score since 2018, one of the strongest improvements across the European Union.<\/p>\n<p>In the most recent 2024 edition, Malta also recorded a +7.6-point increase year-on-year, the largest gain among all EU member states. Significantly, Malta has now moved ahead of Slovenia, Spain, Czechia, and Italy, placing it at the top of the \u201cModerate Innovators\u201d category.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Stronger across every dimension<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Malta\u2019s progress is the result of sustained efforts across key innovation pillars:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Education and talent: A rise in tertiary graduates, STEM skills, and adult learning.<\/li>\n<li>Digitalisation: Widespread adoption of cloud, AI, and high-speed connectivity.<\/li>\n<li>Green innovation: Strong uptake of energy-efficient technologies and eco-innovation.<\/li>\n<li>Intellectual property: Steady growth in trademarks, designs, and digital services exports.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These trends align directly with Malta Vision 2050, which prioritises resilience, digital leadership, and a future-ready workforce.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Addressing past weaknesses: Venture capital and startup support<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Historically, Malta lagged in the finance and support dimension of the EIS, particularly in venture capital availability. Recognising this, the government launched a \u20ac10 million public venture capital co-investment fund in 2024. The fund:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Matches private capital on a pari passu basis up to \u20ac500,000 per startup.<\/li>\n<li>Has already supported the first wave of Maltese high-growth ventures.<\/li>\n<li>Attracts private funds while offering early-stage companies access to critical seed investment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This landmark initiative complements a wider suite of support measures:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Malta Enterprise offers the Start-up Finance Scheme (up to \u20ac1.5 million per startup).<\/li>\n<li>Seed Investment Scheme (35% investor tax credit).<\/li>\n<li>Participation incentives in recognised accelerator programmes.<\/li>\n<li>The MDIA Pathfinder Programme funds R&amp;D-based startups in advanced technologies.<\/li>\n<li>DihubMT acts as a national Digital Innovation Hub, helping SMEs and startups implement emerging technologies like AI, IoT, and blockchain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Creating new economic niches<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A key driver of Malta\u2019s innovation rise is its successful effort to establish new, high-value economic sectors, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Blockchain and digital asset services, supported by Europe\u2019s first comprehensive DLT legislation.<\/li>\n<li>Artificial Intelligence and data economy ventures, backed by national infrastructure and AI strategy.<\/li>\n<li>Video game development and eSports, with local studios emerging and a growing ecosystem of creative talent, coders, and streamers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These sectors not only attract foreign investment but also create new pathways for Maltese graduates, creatives, and entrepreneurs to thrive in the global digital economy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Way forward: Building on momentum<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Looking ahead, the Ministry will:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Expand co-investment efforts to attract larger VC funds and follow-on capital.<\/li>\n<li>Support scale-ups in accessing international growth funding.<\/li>\n<li>Promote Malta as a launchpad for frontier innovation in the EU and Mediterranean.<\/li>\n<li>Embed innovation further into national planning, regulation, and education.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Commenting on these results, Minister for the Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects, Silvio Schembri said, \u201cThis 16.7-point gain in our innovation score since 2018 is proof that Malta\u2019s long-term economic direction is working. We took bold steps to address weaknesses, build new sectors, and unlock local talent. Our policies are not only improving Malta\u2019s innovation profile\u2014they\u2019re creating the jobs, companies, and opportunities of tomorrow. The message is clear: Malta means innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>About the European Innovation Scoreboard<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The EIS is the EU\u2019s flagship tool for benchmarking innovation performance across Member States. It evaluates countries across 32 indicators and ranks them as Innovation Leaders, Strong, Moderate, or Emerging Innovators. Malta now leads the \u201cModerate Innovators\u201d group and is on a clear path toward joining the top tier.<\/p>\n<p><em>Photo: MEEP<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_50228\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"50228\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0Malta\u2019s innovation performance has improved dramatically over the past seven years, confirming that the government\u2019s long-term economic strategy is delivering results. According to the latest European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS), Malta has registered a +16.7-point increase in its overall innovation score since 2018, one of the strongest improvements across the European Union. In the most recent [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_50228\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"50228\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" 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class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50229,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-50228","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-local-news"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c.jpeg",450,300,false],"thumbnail":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c-150x100.jpeg",150,100,true],"medium":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c-300x200.jpeg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c.jpeg",450,300,false],"large":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c.jpeg",450,300,false],"1536x1536":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c.jpeg",450,300,false],"2048x2048":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c.jpeg",450,300,false],"td_0x420":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c.jpeg",450,300,false],"td_80x60":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c-80x60.jpeg",80,60,true],"td_218x150":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c-218x150.jpeg",218,150,true],"td_324x400":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c-324x300.jpeg",324,300,true],"td_696x0":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c.jpeg",450,300,false],"td_1068x0":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c.jpeg",450,300,false],"td_100x70":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c-100x70.jpeg",100,70,true],"td_265x198":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c-265x198.jpeg",265,198,true],"td_324x160":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c-324x160.jpeg",324,160,true],"td_324x235":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c-324x235.jpeg",324,235,true],"td_356x220":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c-356x220.jpeg",356,220,true],"td_356x364":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c-356x300.jpeg",356,300,true],"td_533x261":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c-450x261.jpeg",450,261,true],"td_534x462":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c.jpeg",450,300,false],"td_696x385":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c.jpeg",450,300,false],"td_741x486":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c.jpeg",450,300,false],"td_1068x580":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pr251310c.jpeg",450,300,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Bernard Lynch","author_link":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/author\/bernardlynch\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"\u00a0Malta\u2019s innovation performance has improved dramatically over the past seven years, confirming that the government\u2019s long-term economic strategy is delivering results. According to the latest European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS), Malta has registered a +16.7-point increase in its overall innovation score since 2018, one of the strongest improvements across the European Union. In the most recent&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50228"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50228\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50230,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50228\/revisions\/50230"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}