India hopes to improve its position further in the global innovation index this year riding on its improvement in areas such as ease of doing business.

“There are a lot of areas related to innovation where we have made improvements. For instance, our improvement in ease of doing business is likely to improve our ratings (in the GII). There is so much to learn and so much to do. We will keep learning,” said Ramesh Abhishek, Secretary, Department of Policy for Investments and Internal Trade (DPIIT), at a joint press conference with World Intellectual Property Organisation Director General Francis Gurry on Tuesday.

The global launch of the GII 2019, which would rank 130 countries on the basis of more than 80 indicators measuring various aspects of innovation, will be on Wednesday in New Delhi, co-organised by WIPO, DPIIT and CII.

The GII has been jointly developed by the WIPO, Cornell University and Paris-based business school Insead and includes more than 80 indicators exploring a broad vision of innovation, including political environment, education, infrastructure and business sophistication.

Last year, India improved its ranking to the 57th position from the 60th in 2017 while China’s ranking went up to 17th from 22 a year ago. Switzerland has been on top of the index for the last eight years.

WIPO DG Gurry, who also addressed the media, expressed his concern about countries increasingly becoming more protectionist which was affecting free flow of investments and goods.

The GII 2019 will analyse the medical innovation landscape of the next decade, looking at how technological and non-technological medical innovation will transform the delivery of healthcare worldwide.

“It also explores the role and dynamics of medical innovation as it shapes the future of healthcare, and the potential influence this may have on economic growth,” according to WIPO.

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