Ireland remains a follower rather than a leader when it comes to high-tech innovation, according to a new EU report, writes Charlie Taylor.

The EU’s innovation scoreboard, which was published yesterday, reveals that while Ireland is quick to follow its counterparts, it still lags behind innovation leaders like Sweden, Finland, Germany, Denmark and Britain

The scoreboard measures key indicators such as investment in RD, numbers of highly-educated workers, exports and sales in the high-tech sector as well as access to broadband and numbers employed in high-tech manufacturing.

Andor rejects French overtures

Specialist camera manufacturer Andor technologies announced yesterday that it had “terminated” discussions regarding a possible offer for the company.

French group Photonis Holdings later said it had approached Andor regarding a possible 90p a share offer. It said it was still considering its options.

Irish R&D spend up 10% to €1.03bn

Government spending on research, development and innovation grew over 10 per cent last year to an estimated €1.03 billion according to Forfás.

This means that €6.30 out of every €1,000 generated in the Republic last year was spent on RD, which was in line with the EU average.