From Research Excellence to Innovation Excellence

For much of the past half century, Europe's universities have been judged primarily on their ability to generate knowledge. Today, a different expectation is beginning to emerge. Producing excellent research is no longer seen as sufficient on its own. Increasingly, universities are also expected to demonstrate how that knowledge contributes to economic growth, technological leadership and societal impact.

Walk through almost any major European university and evidence of research excellence is everywhere. New laboratories are being built. International collaborations continue to expand. Publications appear in leading scientific journals. Researchers compete successfully for national and European funding. Rankings celebrate academic achievement and institutional reputation.

These indicators matter. Scientific excellence remains one of Europe's greatest strengths. It underpins technological progress, contributes to societal wellbeing and provides the foundation upon which future innovations are built.

Yet across Europe, a subtle shift is taking place. The conversation is no longer confined to how universities create knowledge. Increasingly, attention is turning towards what happens next.

How does knowledge create value beyond academia? How does research contribute to industrial renewal? How does scientific discovery become economic impact?

These questions sit at the centre of a growing debate about the future role of universities in Europe's innovation economy.

The Changing Expectations Placed on Universities

Historically, European universities have operated around two core missions: education and research. Both remain fundamental.

Universities educate future generations of scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and policymakers. They also produce new knowledge that expands humanity's understanding of the world.

Over the past two decades, however, a third mission has gained increasing prominence. Commercialization. Entrepreneurship. Innovation.

Different institutions use different terminology, but the underlying expectation is largely the same. Universities are increasingly expected not only to produce knowledge but also to contribute directly to economic and societal outcomes.

This shift is visible throughout policy discussions across Europe. The European Commission's plans for the European Innovation Act place considerable emphasis on strengthening the commercialization of research, improving collaboration between academia and industry, and increasing the exploitation of intellectual property. The objective is not simply to generate excellent science but to ensure that scientific advances create measurable value within society and the economy. [1]

Behind this agenda lies a broader concern about competitiveness. Europe continues to perform strongly in research. Yet policymakers remain concerned about its ability to transform scientific strengths into globally competitive companies and industries. The Draghi competitiveness discussion repeatedly returned to the challenge of converting innovation capacity into economic leadership. [1]

Research Excellence Has Never Been the Problem

This distinction is important. Much of the competitiveness debate is often framed as an innovation problem. In reality, Europe's difficulty has rarely been generating knowledge.

The continent remains home to many of the world's leading universities and research institutions. Scientific output remains strong across disciplines ranging from life sciences and engineering to climate technologies, advanced materials and artificial intelligence.

If anything, the challenge lies elsewhere. Research excellence and innovation excellence are not identical concepts. They overlap significantly, but they are measured differently and rewarded differently.

Research excellence is typically judged through scientific outputs such as publications, citations, grants and academic reputation. Innovation excellence is judged through adoption. Through technologies reaching markets. Through companies being created. Through intellectual property generating impact. Through discoveries changing how people live and work.

The transition between these two forms of excellence is neither automatic nor guaranteed.

The Evidence From Entrepreneurial Performance

One of the most revealing insights into this challenge comes from entrepreneurial performance data.

The Redstone University Index examined startup creation across more than 900 European universities and research institutions. Rather than focusing on scientific output, it assessed how effectively institutions generated entrepreneurial activity relative to their size and resources. The findings showed substantial variation between institutions with broadly comparable budgets and capabilities. [2], [3]

This observation is important for a simple reason. Scientific excellence alone does not appear sufficient to explain these differences.

Institutions with strong research capabilities can produce markedly different entrepreneurial outcomes. The implication is that some universities are more effective than others at bridging the gap between discovery and adoption.

They are not necessarily better researchers. They may simply be operating within systems that are better equipped to transform research into impact.

Why Translation Matters

The word "translation" has become increasingly common in innovation discussions. It describes the process through which knowledge moves from one context into another. From laboratory to market. From publication to product. From patent to company.

The challenge is that translation requires capabilities that extend beyond research itself.

A breakthrough technology must often be paired with market insight. Scientific discoveries require industrial partners. Entrepreneurial teams need access to capital. Researchers must navigate intellectual property frameworks, regulatory considerations and commercialization pathways.

None of these activities diminish the importance of science. Rather, they expand the set of capabilities required for innovation to occur.

This is where many universities now find themselves. Having achieved research excellence, they are asking what is required to achieve innovation excellence.

Learning From Institutions That Have Made the Shift

Some of the most influential developments in European commercialization have emerged from universities that recognised this challenge early.

KTH Royal Institute of Technology's Innovation Readiness Level framework represents one example. Rather than evaluating technologies solely through technical maturity, it assesses dimensions such as market readiness, customer understanding, business readiness and implementation capability.

The significance of the framework lies not simply in measurement. It reflects a different philosophy. Innovation is not viewed as the final stage of research. It is viewed as a process requiring deliberate preparation and continuous development.

Similarly, initiatives such as TenU's spin-out investment principles have focused on reducing friction between universities, founders and investors. These efforts recognise that successful commercialization depends not only on technology quality but also on the structures surrounding that technology. [3]

Recent licensing reforms introduced across Danish universities reflect a comparable mindset. By creating more standardized frameworks, institutions seek to make commercialization more predictable, transparent and scalable. [3]

What unites these efforts is a recognition that innovation outcomes are influenced by systems as much as by discoveries.

The Rise of Impact as a Strategic Objective

Universities increasingly operate in an environment where impact matters. Funders ask questions about societal outcomes. Governments seek productivity growth. Regional development strategies often place universities at the centre of innovation ecosystems. Industry partners expect research to contribute to competitive advantage.

As a result, commercialization is no longer viewed merely as a specialist activity undertaken by technology transfer offices. It is becoming a strategic institutional function.

This does not mean universities should become corporations. Nor does it imply that all research should be judged according to commercial criteria. Fundamental research remains essential. Curiosity-driven inquiry remains essential.

But institutions are increasingly recognising that scientific excellence and societal impact need not be opposing goals. The most successful universities are often those capable of pursuing both simultaneously.

A Broader Definition of Success

The shift from research excellence to innovation excellence ultimately reflects a broader evolution in how success is defined.

For much of the twentieth century, generating knowledge was a sufficiently ambitious objective. Today, universities are increasingly expected to demonstrate how that knowledge contributes to society beyond the academic sphere.

This expectation is unlikely to disappear. If anything, it will grow stronger. Future competitiveness strategies, commercialization initiatives and policy frameworks are all moving in the same direction. Not away from research excellence. But beyond it.

The central question is therefore no longer whether universities should continue producing world-class science. They unquestionably should.

The more interesting question is whether Europe can build systems capable of converting a greater share of that science into tangible economic and societal value.

Because in a world increasingly shaped by innovation, research excellence may be the foundation. But innovation excellence is what ultimately determines impact.

Sources

1. DigitalEurope. (2025, October 3). A European Innovation Act to boost commercialisation and enable growth. https://cdn.digitaleurope.org/uploads/2025/10/DIGITALEUROPE-European-Innovation-Act-to-boost-commercialisation-and-enable-growth-03102025.pdf
2. European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. (2025, December 4). Commission concludes public consultation on the European Innovation Act. https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/news/all-research-and-innovation-news/commission-concludes-public-consultation-european-innovation-act-2025-12-04_en
3. European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. (n.d.). European Innovation Act. Retrieved August 7, 2026, from https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/strategy/support-policy-making/shaping-eu-research-and-innovation-policy/european-innovation-act_en