In the largest ever independent survey on the public’s attitude towards innovation in Latin America, new research from Somos Innovación uncovers why innovation plays such an important role in people’s lives, both locally and nationally.

Intellectual property rights are the backbone of innovative businesses that release breakthrough technologies allowing more people to live longer, happier, healthier lives. A key ingredient to many technological breakthroughs has been the role of venture capital funding that relies on intellectual property rights to leverage long-term investments that otherwise would be prohibitively risky. However, changes to the U.S. patent system have effected how venture capitalists take on IP-intensive investments.

Implementing changes to bolster a more entrepreneurial culture will take time, but less than the decades already wasted on government efforts to boost innovation through the supply of purported inputs, writes Philip Cross.

This letter briefly elaborates four areas we believe the Roadmap should focus on in order to retain Europe’s competitiveness and ensure health-related innovation meets the future needs of Europe’s population.