Philippines up 3 notches to 56th in Global Innovation Index 2023

The Philippines advanced by three notches in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2023 to 56th out of 132 world economies.

Based on the World Intellectual Property Office’s GII, which measures countries' capacity for innovation and their success in using it, the country moved up from its previous spot of 59th last year.

In a statement on Saturday, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said over the past five years, the Philippines has been an outperformer, surpassing expectations on innovation relative to its level of economic development among other countries.

The Philippines has also been part of the Top 10 climbers of the decade 2013 to 2023, the DTI said.

Based on the GII 2023, the Philippines performed well in Business sophistication (38th), Knowledge and Technology outputs (46th), and Market Sophistication (55th).

However, the DTI said more interventions were needed to advance the country’s Human capital and Research (88th), Infrastructure (86th), and Institutions (79th).

“As the world accelerates innovation faster than we could have imagined, we must be consistent in our goal of driving innovation across all industries. We must remain committed to our goal of shaping the future of this country to be a global innovation leader and a breeding ground for technological advancements," said Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual.

"We need to change the mindsets of our people, recommend reforms of institutions, and lead a pathway towards global competitiveness.” 

The DTI and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) continue to work together in laying the foundations for building platforms and innovation ecosystems through the establishment of Regional Inclusive Innovative Centers (RIICs).

Since 2019, there have already been 13 active RIICS across the Philippines, with this number continuously growing, according to the Trade Department.

Through these RIICs, various government agencies, the academe, and industry convene to drive the innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship agenda across the country.

Further, RIICs aim to drive research commercialization and continuously build an institutional support system for innovation.

In line with the recent launch of the National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Document (NIASD), the country’s blueprint for innovation, several national government agencies, such as the Office of the President, DTI, DOST, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Transportation (DOTr), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of National Defense (DND), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), also forged their commitment to creating harmonized programs to fuel a dynamic innovation ecosystem.

DTI Undersecretary for Competitiveness and Innovation Group (CIG) Rafaelita Aldaba highlighted the government’s support to accelerate the development of the country’s human capital, which it considers as the country’s main asset in driving innovation and global competitiveness.

“We are committed to investing in our young Filipino talent. It is our belief that our people are our main competitive advantage among our peers. We need to continue to inspire the next generation of game changers, nurturing creativity, supporting technological innovation, and building an enabling environment for innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Aldaba. — DVM, GMA Integrated News