10/19/2019
The Global Innovation Index (GII) is closely linked to a country’s level of economic development and its export performance, according to economist Raufkhon Salahodzhaev.
Speaking at the recent Management Innovation Days — an event organized by the National Agency for Project Management, the Ministry of Innovative Development, the Republican Graduate School of Business and Management, and the United Nations Development Programm — Salahodzhaev delivered a presentation on Uzbekistan’s position in the Global Innovation Index and outlined key strategies for advancing the country into the top 50 rankings.
The Global Innovation Index, developed by the international business school INSEAD (France), is a comprehensive study and global ranking that evaluates countries based on their level of innovation development. The index is built on 82 variables that reflect the innovation performance of countries at various stages of economic growth. It is calculated as a weighted sum of two main groups of indicators:
- Innovation Input: These are the resources and conditions that support innovation. They include institutions, human capital and research, infrastructure, market sophistication, and business sophistication.
- Innovation Output: These reflect the actual outcomes of innovation efforts, such as technological advancements, knowledge economy development, and creative outputs.
Together, these two dimensions measure the efficiency of innovation — in other words, how effectively a country converts its innovation investments into tangible results.
In his presentation, Salahodzhaev emphasized the strong correlation between the GII and a country’s economic and export development. He also highlighted several key areas Uzbekistan should focus on to strengthen its innovation capacity and improve its position in the index. These include:
- Encouraging scientific research and academic activity
- Developing the capital market
- Implementing high-quality reforms in the education sector
- Advancing the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) industry
According to Salahodzhaev, focusing on these areas will allow Uzbekistan’s economy to shift towards a more innovation-driven model and enhance its standing in the global innovation landscape.
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