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 2018 encompasses 126 economies, representing 90.8% of the world’s population and 96.3% of global GDP.
The Global Innovation Index 2018 (GII), in its 11th edition this year, will be released on July 10, and continues to be co-published by Cornell University, INSEAD, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO, an 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 ten 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
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 2018). 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 simple average of the first five pillar scores
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Innovation Output Sub-Index is the simple average of the last two pillar scores
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The overall GII score is the simple average of the Input and Output Sub-Indices
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The Innovation Efficiency Ratio is the ratio of the Output Sub-Index over the Input Sub-Index
The GII gathers data from more than 30 sources, covering a large spectrum of innovation drivers and results; privileging hard data over qualitative assessments (only five survey questions were included in the GII 2018)
The framework is revised every year in a transparent exercise to improve the way innovation is measured. For more on the latest updates to the framework, see Annex 2 of the GII 2018.
ADVISORY BOARD
In 2011, an Advisory Board was set up 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 and experts with unique knowledge and skills in the realm of innovation. Its members, while coming from diverse geographical and institutional backgrounds (international organizations, the public sector, non-governmental organizations, business, and academia), participate in their personal capacity. We are grateful for the time and support provided by the Advisory Board members.
In 2018, we welcome three new members to the Advisory Board: Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); Sergio Mujica, Secretary-General, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and Philippe Kuhutama Mawoko, Executive Secretary, the African Observatory for STI, African Union Commission.
We would also like to express our gratitude to Irina Bokova, former Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), for her thoughtful contributions to previous editions of the GII as a member of the Advisory Board
2018 Advisory Board Members
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Dongmin Chen
Professor/Dean, School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Director, Office of Business Development for Science and Technology, Peking University, China
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Leonid Gokhberg
First Vice-Rector, Higher School of Economics (HSE), and Director, HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge, Russian
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Yuko Harayama
Executive Member, Council for Science, Technology and Innovation, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan
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Raghunath Anant Mashelkar
Bhatnagar Fellow, National Chemical Laboratory, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR); Chairperson, National Innovation Foundation; and President, Global Research Alliance, India
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Sibusiso Sibisi
Former President and Chief Executive Officer, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa Research (CSIR), South Africa
CONTACT US
For all general, research, or media inquiries, please contact us at:
Rafael Escalona Reynoso
Lead Researcher
The Global Innovation Index
re32@cornell.edu