By Paulo Loreto Lim

The most recent Global Innovation Index (GII), which looks at innovation performance for 127 countries, saw the Philippines improve its standing by one rank, coming in at number 73.
During a press briefing at Malacañan Palace, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella welcomed the results, saying the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is seeking “tangible improvements in the information and communications.”
According to the report, among the topics indicated as a “strength” for the country include business sophistication, where the country ranked ninth in terms of the percentage of firms offering formal training; the country ranked eighth in knowledge absorption, based on the percentage of research talent in business enterprises; and the country ranked fifteenth in knowledge impact, in regards to public-private partnership sector job growth.
Among the factors that go into determining a country’s rank include political environment, education, and infrastructure.
Switzerland, Sweden, and the Netherlands were ranked as the top three “most innovative” countries, while Vietnam was named as one of the countries “outperforming their development-level peers.”/WDJ