this post was submitted on 12 Mar 2025
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This article bummed me out so I asked chatgpt what Europe has invented in the last 10 years.
*In the last decade, Europe has made significant contributions to global innovation across various industries. Here are some key examples:
Medical & Biotech
mRNA Vaccine Development (BioNTech, Germany) – Partnered with Pfizer to create one of the first COVID-19 vaccines.
CRISPR Gene Editing (Emmanuelle Charpentier, France/Germany) – Revolutionized genetic engineering, earning a Nobel Prize in 2020.
Artificial Hearts (Carmat, France) – Developed advanced artificial heart implants.
AI & Tech
AlphaFold (DeepMind, UK) – Solved a 50-year-old problem in protein folding, accelerating drug discovery.
Graphene Innovations (University of Manchester, UK) – Continued breakthroughs in applications of graphene, the world’s strongest material.
ASML (Netherlands) – Developed extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, essential for producing advanced computer chips.
Sustainability & Energy
ITER Fusion Reactor (France & EU partners) – A global collaboration working on nuclear fusion as a future clean energy source.
Vertical Farming (Infarm, Germany) – Innovated urban farming solutions using AI and hydroponics.
Plastic-Eating Enzymes (France, UK, Spain) – Biodegradation breakthroughs to combat plastic pollution.
Space & Aviation
Ariane 6 (France, ESA) – New-generation European rockets for commercial spaceflight.
Airbus A321XLR (France/Germany) – The most fuel-efficient long-range single-aisle aircraft.
Finance & Digital Economy
Fintech Startups (Klarna, Sweden; Revolut, UK; Adyen, Netherlands) – Transforming digital banking and payments.
Blockchain & Crypto Regulation (EU MiCA Law) – Europe leads in crypto regulation and digital finance policy.
Conclusion
Europe remains a major player in global innovation, especially in biotech, AI, sustainability, and deep tech. While it may not dominate consumer tech like the U.S. (e.g., Google, Apple), it leads in fundamental science, energy, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing. *
It's all marketing and propaganda BS... Europe remains a top player in R&D despite having just few few famous unicorns. It's mostly due to regulation preventing monopolies and the lack of VC (which has good and bad impact IMHO) but the deeper question is : so what? What does it mean when companies don't scale up by gobbling up competition?
So yes, the examples you give, and there are many more, do show Europe is managing to do all that, and I'd argue it's key, without being authoritarian politically nor as winner-take-all economically.
It's a balancing act but well worth the effort.