Abstract:

Health represents one of the thematic priorities for smart specialization. One of the goals of Horizon 2020 is indeed to address the inequalities in this sector and find the right strategies to reduce the gap in research and innovation (R&I) on Health among the different European regions. This ambitious agenda requires not only a systematic analysis of the state of art of R&I in Europe for the specific sector, but also a clear understanding of which may be the possible cause of the divide among European regions. The principal aim of the paper goes exactly in this direction: understanding which are the potential factors influencing different European performances in Health R&I. Relying on new data provided by the European Commission in the framework of a Horizon 2020 project, focusing on Health thematic priority, as well as recent publications in the Health sector and data gathered from other sources (e.g. Eurostat), the paper provides an overview at NUTS2 level of the degree of development of Health R&I in Europe as well as a systematic analysis of possible determinants of regional R&I inequalities for this sector.