The overall aim of the study was to improve the understanding and economic evidence base on impact of regulatory barriers on innovation. This study results will feed into the European Commission's Regulatory Fitness and Performance programme (REFIT) implemented in the framework of Better Regulation policy. This study focuses on the EU regulatory barriers for innovation alongside its interpretation and implementation by Member States. The interplay of EU regulation with national, regional and non-EU regulation have also been considered.
The study had four objectives:

• Provide an economic analysis of the effects of EU regulatory barriers to innovation during the past 10 years defined in terms of
  
  • additional costs for innovations as a result of regulatory barriers; 
  • lack of adequate response to the patterns of global demand and
  • missed investment opportunities in Europe;
  • and missed job opportunities;
• Provide an economic projection respectively until 2020, 2025 and 2030 of additional investment, innovation potential and job creation in Europe if regulatory barriers would be removed in the following sectors: Energy, Food, Health and Water;
• Provide an overview (description, context, implementation, effects) of national or regional initiatives to address regulatory barriers to innovation;
• Provide a practical guide on how to apply the Commission's Impact Assessment tool on Research and Innovation.

The study provides both methodological guidance and economic evidence on regulatory impacts on innovation. It further improved existing Impact Assessment methodology and tools by developing a methodology catered for quantifying economic impacts of regulatory framework on innovation.