History of the Global Innovation Index
The Global Innovation Index (GII) aims to capture the multi-dimensional facets of innovation and provide the tools that can assist in tailoring policies to promote long-term output growth, improved productivity, and job growth. The GII helps to create an environment in which innovation factors are continually evaluated. It provides a key tool and a rich database of detailed metrics for economies, which in 2019 encompasses 129 economies.
The Global Innovation Index 2019 (GII), in its 12th edition this year, is co-published by Cornell University, INSEAD, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO, a specialized agency of the United Nations). The core of the GII Report consists of a ranking of world economies’ innovation capabilities and results. Over the last years, the GII has established itself as a leading reference on innovation. Understanding in more detail the human aspects behind innovation is essential for the design of policies that help promote economic development and richer innovation-prone environments locally. Recognizing the key role of innovation as a driver of economic growth and prosperity, and the need for a broad horizontal vision of innovation applicable to developed and emerging economies, the GII includes indicators that go beyond the traditional measures of innovation such as the level of research and development.
CURRENT REPORTS
Key Findings and Rankings
GII Framework
The Global Innovation Index (GII) is an evolving project that builds on its previous editions while incorporating newly available data and that is inspired by the latest research on the measurement of innovation. The GII relies on two sub-indices—the Innovation Input Sub-Index and the Innovation Output Sub-Index—each built around key pillars.
Five input pillars capture elements of the national economy that enable innovative activities: (1) Institutions, (2) Human capital and research, (3) Infrastructure, (4) Market sophistication, and (5) Business sophistication. Two output pillars capture actual evidence of innovation outputs: (6) Knowledge and technology outputs and (7) Creative outputs.
Each pillar is divided into sub-pillars and each sub-pillar is composed of individual indicators (80 in total in 2019). Sub-pillar scores are calculated as the weighted average of individual indicators; pillar scores are calculated as the weighted average of sub-pillar scores.
Four measures are then calculated:
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Innovation Input Sub-Index is the average of the first five pillar scores
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Innovation Output Sub-Index is the average of the last two pillar scores
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The overall GII score is the average of the Input and Output Sub-Indices
The GII gathers data from more than 30 sources, covering a large spectrum of innovation drivers and results; privileging hard data over qualitative assessments.
ADVISORY BOARD
In 2011, an Advisory Board was established to provide advice on the research underlying the Global Innovation Index (GII), generate synergies at its stages of development and assist with the dissemination of its messages and results. The Advisory Board is a select group of leading international practitioners with expertise in the realm of innovation. Its members are from diverse geographical and institutional backgrounds, and participate in their personal capacity. We extend our gratitude to all Advisory Board members for their continuous support and our collaboration.
We wish to thank Hugo Hollanders, Senior Researcher at UNU-MERIT (Maastricht University) for his contribution to previous editions of the GII as a member of the Advisory Board.
2019 Advisory Board Members
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Dongmin Chen
Dean, Innovation and Entrepreneurship; and Professor, Faculty of Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, China
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Leonid Gokhberg
First Vice-Rector, National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE); and Director, Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (HSE), the Russian Federation
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Yuko Harayama
Professor Emeritus, Tohoku University; and Former Executive Member, Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CSTI), Cabinet Office of Japan
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Beethika Khan
Program Director, National Science Foundation (NSF)
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Chuan Poh Lim
Chairperson, Singapore Food Agency, and Former Chairperson, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
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Raghunath Anant Mashelkar
National Research Professor, Global Research Alliance; Former Director General, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR); and Former Chairperson, National Innovation Foundation, India
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Sibusiso Sibisi
Director, WITS Business School; and Former President and Chief Executive Officer, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa
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Pedro Wongtschowski
Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Ultrapar Participações S.A., Embraer S.A., the Brazilian Enterprise for Research and Innovation (EMBRAPII), and the Brazilian Association of Innovative Companies (ANPEI)
CONTACT US
For all general, research, or media inquiries, please contact us at:
Pamela Bayona
Project Manager
Sacha Wunsch-Vincent
Co-Editor
The Global Innovation Index
gii@wipo.int