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JCR Category: Business in ESCI edition

Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues Open access
Journal Impact FactorTM (2025) 1.5 Q3
Journal Citation IndicatorTM (2025) 0.25 Q4
Received: 2025-06-18  |  Accepted: 2025-10-01  |  Published: 2025-12-30

Title

Innovation performance as a significant factor in the convergence process of the V4 countries


Abstract

Innovation constitutes a fundamental pillar of economic development, particularly within the framework of the knowledge-based economy, which prioritizes the creation of high added value through research and development (R&D). Within the European Union, innovation performance is increasingly acknowledged as a critical determinant of national competitiveness, economic prosperity, and regional convergence. This study examines the interrelationship between innovation performance—measured by the Summary Innovation Index (SII) and economic wealth, represented by GDP per capita and GDP per capita in purchasing power standards (PPS), across the Visegrad Four (V4) countries, all of which acceded to the European Union in 2004. Utilizing quantitative methods, primarily regression and correlation analyses, the research identifies statistically significant associations among innovation performance, R&D investment, and selected economic indicators. The findings reveal substantial disparities in innovation capacity among the V4 countries and highlight uneven progress in their convergence with the more established EU member states. Beyond the prevalence of declarative political commitments to fostering a knowledge economy, the results underscore the urgent need for targeted policy interventions aimed at enhancing innovation performance and accelerating the convergence trajectory of the V4 region.


Keywords

convergence, innovation, innovation performance, knowledge-based economy, research and development, Visegrad group countries


JEL classifications

O11 , O30


URI

http://jssidoi.org/jesi/article/1372


DOI


Pages

250-263


Funding


This is an open access issue and all published articles are licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Authors

Kučera, Jozef
University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, Trnava, Slovakia https://www.ucm.sk
Articles by this author in: CrossRef |  Google Scholar

Journal title

Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues

Volume

13


Number

2


Issue date

December 2025


Issue DOI


ISSN

ISSN 2345-0282 (online)


Publisher

VšĮ Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, Vilnius, Lithuania

Cited

Google Scholar

Article views & downloads

HTML views: 812  |  PDF downloads: 645

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