This approach leverages high-quality trade and patent data as well as advanced techniques from machine learning, network science, and complex dynamical systems to provide a nuanced understanding of a country's economic sophistication and capabilities. By doing so, it allows to address quantitatively research questions that are traditionally tackled either qualitatively or with ad hoc quantitative measures, therefore lacking generalisation or replicability. The focus is to provide highly relevant inputs, which complement the more conventional analyses on competitiveness and innovation across the JRC.

Led by Unit B6 (Industrial Strategy, Skills and Technology Transfer) and in collaboration with Unit B5 (Circular Economy and Sustainable Industry), today this activity  analyses competitiveness and innovation under the perspective of Economic Complexity, addressing  questions policy relevance from three angles:

• (1) Assessment of the competitiveness of European industries,
• (2) Identification of innovation potential and industrial strategies to boost competitiveness, prosperity, and sustainability
• (3) Assessment of diversification capabilities  and specialisation potential in strategic technologies.

These areas are closely intertwined via the necessary resources (data, algorithms, techniques) and outputs: industry is a central part of the innovation system, and it is at the same time a driver and an outcome of innovation, which is crucial to deliver economic growth while setting Europe on a low-carbon transition”

Main outputs

Infographics	Workshops
For each of the county members of the European Union we provide a factsheet to inform policy about country and regional innovation and industrial capabilities in specific sectors.	The project contains one annual workshop in order to validate and exchange between the scientific community and our activities.
Green Complexity	Publications
The characteristics of the Economic complexity framework make it potentially especially powerful in addressing the challenges of Europe’s Green Deal.	List of publications from the team providing relevant background to the project and technical explanation of the analysis provided.