The European Commission has declared its goal to make Europe a frontrunner in market-creating innovation and SME growth. Although one third of the world’s scientific production is made in Europe. It runs behind US, Japan and North Korea in share of business investment into R&D. We believe that the fundamentals of an overall European innovation landscape are grounded in national education systems as well as in the funding of early innovators. The Global innovation index show serious gaps in innovation results across different European countries. These correlate with outcomes of learning processes starting from early childhood, higher education, vocational and university studies. We provide sound analytical work for education policy practitioners and governmental bodies to ensure the best decisions on increasing learning efficiency in this fast-changing world.