The Netherlands has become one of the ‘Innovation leaders of Europa’. A new index made by the European Commission reveals that the Netherlands is viewed as one of the most innovative countries in the European Union. Up till now the Netherlands was known as an ‘Innovation follower’. According to national newspaper Financieel Dagblad this ranking of the European Commission is one of the most important lists detailing the accomplishments in innovation per country. The Netherlands currently rank fifth, following closely behing Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Germany. The score of the Netherlands is especially boosted by the numbers of scientific publications, patents towards solving societal challenges and promoted scientists.