Georgia Advances Position in Global Innovation Index 2019
Georgia has advanced its position in the Global Innovation Index 2019 (GII) and was ranked 48th out of a total 129 countries, which is an 11-point improvement compared to the 2018 index, where Georgia took 59th place.
Georgia’s recent success means that now it is among the top 50 most innovative countries in the world.
The main indicators of such an important success are Georgia's high-tech import, export of information and communications services (ICT) and industrial design.
Head of the Innovation and Technology Agency of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, Avtandil Kasradze, says Georgia has made some big steps in terms of innovations. He noted that Georgia is not going to stop here and aims at more development and success.
“The education reform initiated by the Prime Minister of Georgia, which implies spending at least 6% of GDP on education, science and innovation, will be reflected in the global innovation index in 2020, and it will take Georgia to a higher level,” Kasradze said, adding that “Large-scale reforms planned by the government provide the basis for further progress in the country. We hope that within a few years we will manage to be among the top 20 states.”
The Economy and Sustainable Development Minister, Natia Turnava, noted that Georgia has a well-deserved place in the Global Innovation Index.
“Georgia has made great progress in innovation. We are now in the top 50 most innovative states in the world,” she said.
The Global Innovation Index is an annual ranking of countries by their capacity for, and success in, innovation.
Each country is measured by seven criteria:
1. Institutions / institutional arrangement;
2. Human capital and research;
3. Telecommunication infrastructure and ecological sustainability;
4. Market conditions and market transactions;
5. Business sophistication (how do companies promote innovations);
6. The role of knowledge and technology in the creation of inventions and innovations;
7. The role of creativity in innovations.
The Global Innovation Index 2019 provides detailed metrics about the innovation performance of 129 countries and economies around the world. Its 80 indicators explore a broad vision of innovation, including political environment, education, infrastructure and business sophistication.
In addition, the GII 2019 analyzes the medical innovation landscape of the next decade, looking at how technological and non-technological medical innovation will transform the delivery of healthcare worldwide. It also explores the role and dynamics of medical innovation as it shapes the future of healthcare, and the potential influence this may have on economic growth.
The list of the Top 10 Most Innovative Countries in the World, according to GII 2019, are: Switzerland, Sweden, the United States of America, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Finland, Denmark, Singapore, Germany and Israel.
The report reads that the global landscape of science, innovation, and technology has undergone important shifts over the last decades.
It also says that the top science and technology clusters are in the US, China, and Germany, while Brazil, India, Iran, the Russian Federation and Turkey also feature in the top 100.
The top five clusters are: Tokyo-Yokohama (Japan); Shenzhen-Hong Kong, China (China); Seoul (Republic of Korea); Beijing (China) and San Jose-San Francisco (US).
By Thea Morrison
Image source: ge.com