Bangladesh makes no headway in global innovation rating

The country is far from pulling ahead of its close competitors in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2021 in terms of innovation, business sophistication, research and creativity, thereby ending up in the same 116th rank.

Of the 132 countries that came under the study of World Intellectual Property Organisation, Bangladesh scored 20.2 in the recent rating, holding the same position over the last four years.

In 2018, Bangladesh obtained 30.11 points competing with 130 countries, while in 2019, 23.31 points vying with 129 countries, and in 2020, 20.39 points among 131 countries.

Tracking most recent global innovation trends, the 14th edition of the GII rated the countries in respect of innovation ecosystem performance of their economies.

In the index, among 34 lower middle-income countries, Bangladesh ranked 26.

When it comes to classing as regards income group in the index, Vietnam occupies top position while India and Ukraine come in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

As per the GII, Vietnam, India and Ukraine stand at 44th, 46th and 49th position. India improved its ranking by two places up to 46th.

In central and South Asia, India leads by 46th position in GII, having consistently risen up its ranks since 2015 when it made 81st.

The Islamic Republic of Iran holds 2nd position in the region ending up in 60th place.

Kazakhstan ranks 3rd with its GII position 79th, while Uzbekistan continues to move upward by seven places achieving 86th rank in WIPO study 2021.

Sri Lanka moved six notches up to 95th and Pakistan advanced eight spots to 99th. Nepal slipped 16 spots to 111th.

Switzerland topped the list while Sweden came second, the US third, the UK fourth and South Korea fifth. The Netherlands, Finland, Singapore, and Denmark, and Germany are placed in top 10.

In the global judgment index, Bangladesh’s all indicators show a below-the-average score. Except the indicator for institutions, all other six indicators are at the bottom.

The country ranked 122th in the institutions pillar scoring 45.5 out of 100, and was placed 128th in the human capital and research pillar scoring 10.1, 95th in the infrastructure pillar scoring 32, and 95th in the market sophistication pillar scoring 40.9.

It holds 122nd in the business sophistication pillar with a score of 15.4, 92nd in the knowledge and technology outputs pillar with a score of 13.7 and 123rd in the creative outputs pillar scoring 9.6.

Under the knowledge and technology indicator, the total trade of intellectual property receipts scored a zero while the new business indicator did the same.

The country gets a zero in almost seven sub-indicators, not applicable in 12 sub-Indicators and a score value less than 1 out of 100 in 15 sub-indicators.

Bangladesh is moving ahead, but still did not get a score value in intellectual property sector – an evaluation that demeans the position of the country, said Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Mustafa Jabbar in his reaction.

“They have not collected proper data and not made observation in transparent way,” he added.

“Disagreeing with the report, Jabbar said in the last three years, we transformed many sectors. Presently, we export software to 80 countries.”

According to the data of Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks, the number of local innovation registration applications submitted to it is very few.

In 2018, a total of 19 local patents were registered, while in 2019, it came down to 6, and in 2020, only 5 patents were registered.

Bangladesh is moving ahead in terms of innovations and their implementations will be visible following transition to a middle-income country status, Md Abdus Sattar, registrar of the Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks, told The Business Post.

The university graduates are gradually turning to research and innovations while industries will also play their part to this end which will be a win-win for both, said the official.

In the foreword of the GII report, WIPO Director General Daren Tang said this year’s edition is being released in the middle of a continuing Covid-19 pandemic, which has taken a grim toll on the lives and livelihoods.”

“But the pandemic has given us many examples of human ingenuity, resilience and adaptability.”

Indeed, the GII 2021 finds that the innovative sectors of the global economy have remained strong, despite severe disruptions, and to overcome the pandemic and build back better, nations need to continue supporting the translation of great ideas into game-changing products, observed Tang.