India climbs two spots to 46th rank in the Global Innovation Index 2021

New Delhi, September 21, 2021

India has climbed two spots to rank 46th in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2021 rankings by the World Intellectual Property Organization.

India has been on a rising trajectory over the past several years in the GII, moving from a rank of 81 in 2015 to 46 in 2021.

The consistent improvement in the GII ranking is owing to the immense knowledge capital, the vibrant start-up ecosystem and the work done by the public and the private research organizations, the Government thinktank NITI Aayog said on Monday in a press release.

Several scientific departments like the Department of Atomic Energy; the Department of Science and Technology; the Department of Biotechnology and the Department of Space have played a pivotal role in enriching the national innovation ecosystem, it added.

The release said the NITI Aayog has been working tirelessly to ensure the optimization of the national efforts for bringing policy led innovation in different areas such as electric vehicles, biotechnology, nanotechnology, space, alternative energy sources, etc., the release said.

The India Innovation Index, the latest edition of which was released last year by the NITI Aayog, has been widely accepted as a major step in the direction of decentralization of innovation across all the states of India. A constant thrust in monitoring and evaluating India’s position in the global rankings has been provided by the NITI Aayog, including in the GII, it said.

"The GII-2021 will be a significant reference point for all the countries to assess their innovation capabilities and readiness, which will go a long way in boosting economic recovery," the release said.

"The GII is the fulcrum for the governments – across the world – to assess the social and economic changes in their respective countries. Over the years, the GII has established itself as a policy tool for various governments and helped them to reflect upon the existing status quo.

"The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has also been leading from the front as a torchbearer of India's journey towards an innovation-driven economy," it said.

This year, the NITI Aayog, in partnership with the CII and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), is hosting virtually the India Launch of the GII and the Global Innovation Conclave during September 21-22.

The launch session will be attended by Dr V K Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog, Dr K Vijay Raghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser, Amitabh Kant, Chief Executive Officer, NITI Aayog, Daren Tang, Director General, WIPO, Dr Soumitra Dutta, author, GII and Professor, Cornell University, Vipin Sondhi, Chairman, CII National Committee on Technology, Innovation & R&D and Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII.

NNN