Malta cannot seriously aspire to build a more competitive, productive and resilient economy while treating research and development as a peripheral concern. The latest figures published by Eurostat should therefore serve as a wake-up call to government, rather than simply become another set of statistics to be filed away and forgotten.
According to figures released by Eurostat, Malta allocated just €73.70 per person to research and development in 2025, putting it third from bottom among EU member states, ahead only of Hungary and Romania. The EU average stood at €288.90 per person. Even more concerning is that Malta's investment in R&D as a share of GDP declined from 0.24% in 2015 to just 0.17% in 2025.
The Nationalist Party was right to draw attention to these figures, but the issue should not be viewed through a partisan lens. The statistics are important because they tell us something about the country's priorities and, ultimately, about the kind of economy Malta is preparing for.
Research and development are among the backbones of progress. They are how countries develop new technologies, improve existing industries, solve problems and create products and services capable of competing beyond their borders. For a small country such as Malta, this should be seen not as an unaffordable luxury but as an opportunity.
Malta is never going to compete with the largest countries in Europe in terms of scale. It does not have their population, territory or financial resources. But it can compete through knowledge, specialised expertise, creativity and innovation. In some areas, being small can even be an advantage: decisions can be taken more quickly, institutions can work more closely together, and successful ideas can be tested on a manageable scale.
The question, therefore, is not simply why Malta is spending less than other countries. It is what can be done to change that trajectory.
The government should examine how public funding for research can be increased progressively and, just as importantly, how that funding can produce meaningful results. More collaboration between the University of Malta, educational institutions, industry and Government could help turn research into practical applications and new businesses. Incentives should also encourage the private sector to invest more heavily in research rather than leaving the burden largely on the public purse.
There is also a much earlier starting point: education.
The importance of research, experimentation, critical thinking and innovation should be embedded in Malta's education system from an early age. Students should not be taught simply to memorise information and reproduce it in examinations. They should be encouraged to ask questions, challenge assumptions, investigate problems and develop solutions. A society that wants more researchers and innovators must first create an education system that values curiosity.
This is also why R&D should not be regarded as something confined to scientists in laboratories. Research can improve virtually every sector, from medicine and engineering to agriculture, technology, environmental protection and manufacturing. Malta can make a contribution to international knowledge even when that contribution is relatively small in numerical terms.
The government's Malta Vision 2050 will mean little if the country is not willing to invest today in the people and ideas that are supposed to make that vision possible. Long-term strategies cannot depend on slogans. They require sustained investment and measurable objectives.
The Eurostat figures should therefore prompt the government to look seriously at what Malta is spending, where that money is going and what more can be done. The answer cannot be to defend poor figures because Malta is small.
Precisely because Malta is small, it should be looking for areas where research and innovation can make a disproportionate difference. The country may not be able to lead the world in everything, but it can certainly do more to ensure that it is not left behind.