The recently issued Global Innovation Index (GII), which is co-published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Cornell University and INSEAD Business School, ranks the innovation performance of 141 countries and economies around the world based on 79 indicators.
Published annually since 2007, the GII is used as a tool for policymakers, business leaders and other stakeholders when evaluating the impact of innovation policies on an economy’s degree of development. The index strives to encompass several aspects of innovation, including policies that promote growth and productivity.
“Innovation holds far-reaching promise for spurring economic growth in countries at all stages of development. However, realizing this promise is not automatic,” said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. He adds: “Each nation must find the right mix of policies to mobilize the innate innovative and creative potential in their economies.”
Sweden defends its 3rd position from 2014, a feat which according to Susanne Ås Sivborg, president of the Swedish Patent Office (PRV), is “fantastic”.
Regarding the rankings of the most innovative companies, it is highly interesting to compare different lists, statistics and opinions. For example, although the Swedish telecom giant Ericsson stands out regarding the number of filed patent applications (9th position of companies in terms of applications filed at the European Patent Office (EPO) in 2014), the retail-clothing company H&M is the only Swedish company in Forbes’s recent listing of the 100 most innovative companies in the world , found at place 86.