The European Commission has recently released the new Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) report 2019, which provides an overview of EU countries’ digital performance and competitiveness. The top-4 leaders in digitalisation are Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark, followed by the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Ireland, Estonia, and Belgium. The EU as a whole needs to improve in order to compete globally. The report presents some key findings in six main areas:

• Connectivity;
• Human capital/Digital skills;
• Use of internet services by citizens;
• Integration of Digital Technology by businesses;
• Digital Public Services; and
• Research and Development ICT.

On Research and Development ICT, the DESI 2019 report analyses both the EU ICT Sector and its R&D Performance and the ICT projects in Horizon 2020 Digital. Concerning the latter aspect, among the main conclusions, the report suggests that, in five years, Horizon 2020 (H2020) has funded more than 3 000 projects in ICT-related areas, which accounts to most of research and innovation actions in H2020. In addition, between 2014 and 2018, 11 % of H2020 funding went to non-EU countries, primarily associated countries with a strong R&I sector, thus showcasing the growing involvement of international participants in ICT-related projects in H2020.

More info here.