The Philippines has leapfrogged 47 places over the past decade in the Global Innovation Index (GII) published by the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO).
The country ranked 53rd this year from 100th place in the 2014 edition of the report, making the country one of the fastest 10-year risers along with China, Türkiye, India and Vietnam.
The Philippines also advanced three notches from 56th place last year.
The WIPO noted that the Philippines positioned itself in the top three among the lower middle-income group, along with India (1st) and Vietnam (2nd).
“Notable areas in which it excels are trade-related indicators, including high-tech exports (1st globally), high-tech imports, creative goods exports and ICT (information and communications technology) services exports. It has also made advances, albeit at lower levels, in intangible assets, thanks to its strong global brand value and the intangible asset intensity of its companies,” the 2024 GII report read.
For Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) Director General Rowel Barba, the higher ranking in the GII report reflected the effectiveness of the innovation strategies of the Marcos administration and the whole-of-government approach to bridge the gaps between the academe and industry.
“IPOPHL’s Innovation and Technology Support Office (ITSO) program was one of many government initiatives that played a key role in increasing university-industry partnerships,” Barba said in a statement on Friday. “Many ITSO managers link the success of their incubators today to the foundational IP knowledge and capacities gained from the ITSO program, effectively enabling them to protect and commercialize the inventions and innovations of their students and faculty members.”
He added that IPOPHL is strengthening its ITSO program to accelerate innovation inputs, outputs, and impacts across regions.
Out of the seven pillars of the GII, the Philippines recorded the highest jump in institution, up 14 spots to 65th. This is boosted by the improvement in regulatory environment sub-pillar, which leapfrogged 26 notches to 82nd spot.
“The remarkable rise in institutions is a clear show of results from the robust innovation policies of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., who put innovation high up in his national agenda. His hands-on leadership at the National Innovation Council, which includes IPOPHL as an ex-officio member, also inspires others to pursue the vision of a Bagong Pilipinas (New Philippines) that fosters innovation,” Barba said.
Other pillars include human capital and research, where the Philippines ranked 84th; 85th in infrastructure; 77th in market sophistication; 37th in business sophistication; 42nd in knowledge and technology outputs; and 60th in creative outputs.
A total of 133 countries were ranked in the 2024 GII. (PNA)
