Innovation performance of Romania within UE in 2020

Monitoring the convergence of the EU countries regarding innovation performance is achieved, since 2000, through a system of indicators that have been developed and refined every year, in order to improve them in accordance with the new economic and social trends and with requirements of expressing, in the most relevant and systemic way, the developments in R&D and innovation field, both in terms of inputs and outputs and, also, the contribution of different categories of determinants. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the possibility as Romania to reach the average EU in the field of innovation performance, using the method of scenario that target the horizon2020. We used the same methodology as for the Innovation Union Scoreboard 2010 and presumption that some indicators that compose the Summary Innovation Index should have a higher pace of growth for Romania in order to reduce the gap between Romania and the EU average in 2020. In order to detect factors that can stimulate or stifle convergence we discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the Romanian Innovation System and of the policies in this area in order to draw some relevant conclusions and proposals that have practical value.