INNOVATION PERFORMANCE OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC AND INTERNATIONAL BENCHMARKING

The paper is focused on innovation flagship initiative. Based on the average innovation performance, the states fall into four different performance groups: innovation leaders, innovation followers, moderate innovators, modest innovators. Sweden has once more the best performing innovation system in the European Union (EU), followed by Denmark, Finland and Germany. The most innovative countries have balanced innovation systems with strengths in dimensions such as enablers, firm activities, outputs. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the innovation performance of the Czech Republic based on the Summary Innovation Index 2014 which contained 25 different indicators in total. The paper analyses the progress of the Czech Republic in the field of research, development and innovation and provides the comparison with other Member States of the EU. Innovation performance is closely connected with the regional innovation paradox concept. The objective of the paper is also to point out the innovation paradox in the EU.