MANILA, Philippines — From 51st place last year, the Philippines slipped eight notches in the yearly Global Innovation Index (GII) of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), dropping to the 59th spot among 132 economies in the world.
The slip in the GII rankings is the country’s second consecutive drop in placement, when it landed the 50th place in the 2020 GII.
“It must be noted that this lower performance, the Philippines continues to perform above regional average among its neighboring countries in Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania,” the report said.
The WIPO also recognized the Philippines’ ability to perform above expectations for its level of development, as it produced more innovation outputs relative to its level of innovation investments.
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) downplayed the drop in rankings in the GII, noting that the WIPO still recognized the country as an “extraordinary upward mover, with small setback” in terms of innovation.
“The Philippines rank in the latest Global Innovation Index is a challenge to both the government and private sector to prioritize innovation,” says DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr.
“Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the DOST is fully committed to drive the local industry to succeed through our investments in S&T facilities and laboratory network in support of our local industry’s productivity,” the DOST chief added.
For her part, DOST Assistant Secretary Leah Buendia, OIC of the Office of the Undersecretary for R&D, said the Philippines continues to capitalize on its strengths and increasing capacity in industry 4.0 technologies.
“DOST funded R&D facilities and laboratories with an active nationwide network for the development of industry and programs for digitalization, sustain the industry’s efforts for a more streamlined and efficient process,” Buendia noted.
The lower rank in 2022 was largely due to decreased performance score in Knowledge and Technology Outputs, which are mainly a function of knowledge creation, knowledge impact and knowledge diffusion.
This year, the Philippines ranked fifth among the 36 lower-middle-income group economies, a notch down compared to its 4th place ranking in 2021. The country also maintained its rank of 11th among 17 economies in South East Asia, East Asia and Oceania.
The GII tracks the most recent global innovation trends against the background of an ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, slowing productivity growth and other evolving challenges.