Science spending is just one driver of growth and innovation

The European Commission is overemphasising the role of spending on science as a driver of economic growth, say commentators responding to a 9 June Commission report.

Innovation Union Competitiveness Report 2011, the first in a biennial series, highlights the need to increase both public and private-sector spending on science to boost innovation. This, it says, will drive economic growth. However, analysts from both public and private backgrounds warn that this approach is too narrow to tackle the problem efficiently.