KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia retains its 35th position in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2019 and remains among the middle-income economies that are bridging the innovation divide, supported by its first rank in indicators such as high-tech net exports and creative goods exports.
Malaysia improves its rankings in four of the seven GII pillars: institutions (40th), infrastructure (42nd), business sophistication (36th), and creative outputs (44th), said a joint statement released by INSEAD, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and Cornell University.
“At the indicator level, the most significant improvements are in quality of universities, where Malaysia ranks 17th this year, and Gross Domestic Expenditure on research and development (GERD) performed by business, as well as GERD financed by business, where it takes the 25th and 16th positions, respectively.
“In several indicators, Malaysia ranks in the top 10; these include graduates in science and engineering (8th), university-industry research collaboration (8th), state of cluster development (8th), and several trade-related variables-such as high-tech imports and high-tech net exports and creative goods exports,” it said.
Co-published by INSEAD, WIPO, a specialised agency of the United Nations, and Cornell University, the GII is a leading benchmarking tool for business executives, policy makers and others seeking insight into the state of innovation around the world.
Singapore (8), the Republic of Korea (11), and Hong Kong, China (13) are the three top-ranked economies in the South East Asia, East Asia, and Oceania region. China is number 14 following a rapid rise up the ranks of the GII in recent years.
Partly due to improved data coverage, Singapore moves to the 8th spot this year. It maintains leadership in institution-related indicators, while becoming world leader in, knowledge-intensive employment, and strategic alliances deals.
Vietnam (42, up three from GII 2018) and the Philippines (54, up 19 from GII 2018) make important progress this year. While some changes to the GII model explain some of the Philippines’ leap, newly available metrics give a more-thorough assessment of its innovative performance, which itself shows signs of progress. Both economies improve in most of the GII areas and gain top ranks in high-technology imports and exports. — Bernama