Moving up the global innovation ladder

In the Global Innovation Index (GII)-2014 Switzerland is the leader for the fourth consecutive year. The United Kingdom moves up by one rank to the second place, followed by Sweden. A new name among the top 10 this year is Luxembourg (9th).
Bangladesh is placed at the 129th position in the annual GII survey for 2014, just one place ahead of last year.
The annual rankings are jointly published by Cornell University, INSEAD (a graduate business school with campuses in Europe, Asia and the Middle East), and the World Intellectual Property Organisation. The survey covered 143 economies around the world, using 81 indicators to gauge innovation capabilities and results.
Interestingly, India is the worst performer among BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and south Africa) with all the others improving their positions from those of the last year. China is the best among BRICS nations. It has secured the 29th place, up by six notches.
Russia has improved its position by 13 notches to stay at 49. South Africa ranks 53rd, up by five notches, while Brazil secures the 61st position, three places ahead of the last year's ranking.

India continued its dismal performance in global innovation for the fourth consecutive year. It has slipped from the 62nd position in 2011 to 64th in 2012 and 66th in 2013.
In fact, earlier this year in the World Bank's "Doing Business Report" for 2014, India slipped by three notches to the 134th spot. The report was prepared based on a survey of 189 countries.
The Modi-government has initiated steps such as single-window clearances, emphasis on self-certification by industries and easing labour laws in a bid to improve the environment for business in the country.

CSA (Central and Southern Asia) Zone
CONNECTIVITY AS THE DRIVER OF INNOVATION: Innovation creates social progress and improves the economic well-being of people. The fundamental driver behind any innovation process is the human factor associated with it.
Innovation is the process that sees generation of ideas that are commercialised and innovation hubs can help elevate that process to the level of differentiating capability.
In today's globalised world, innovation is often associated with progress. It represents a business's tenacity in evolving and adapting to the changing competition and market conditions. In short, to innovate is a survival instinct linked to staying relevant.
Organisations today can no longer take a myopic stance, as their very existence is largely dependent on the environment, in which they exist and to which they cater. Organisations have a moral obligation to make sure that innovation is given a larger mandate to be the engine that enables economic growth, driving societal changes and laying the foundation for an empowered and competitive nation.
Education is a fundamental element in innovation and access to both basic and vocational education is key to skill development. Countries should invest more in education and building the human infrastructure to drive innovation and growth. It is equally important for industries and businesses to get involved in enhancing education systems. Advances in information and communication technologies (ICT) in recent years played a crucial role in changing traditional education and making it more accessible, affordable and effective globally.
BANGLADESH MOVES ONE NOTCH UP: Bangladesh has moved up by one notch to 129 in this year's Global Innovation Index (GII) from last year's 130.

Improvement in three key areas-human capital and research, market sophistication and creative output-helped the country make progress in the index for 2013-14, according to the Global Innovation Index.

 By and large restrictive conditions may thwart innovation and enterprise-but history shows that this need not be so. There are many examples of successful innovations coming out of rigid systems.  China is high on patenting intellectual property today. The United States' dominance in this area is (now) challenged.  We see two vastly different economic systems when we compare China and the USA.
At times, creativity thrives in adversity. It is actually about the mindset as to whether to fight or be in flight from the reality, or board a boat and float away!  Necessity is the mother of invention.
In Bangladesh, we do have a quite salubrious environment and taking life easy appears to be a way forward. When things do not turn out well, we resort to conspiracy theories and cry out for help instead of helping ourselves.
This is not the time to feel disappointed, rather we should think about how to get rid of the situation and secure a proper place in the GII ranking. A group of emerging and middle-income countries such as Fiji, China, Hungary, Malaysia, Bulgaria and some more have set up an example for us. They are faring very well in innovation and moving up the GII rankings. These countries demonstrate the above-par levels of innovation compared with other countries with similar income levels. Their progress, even if not uniform, is mostly a result of a good policy mix on multiple fronts: institutions, skills, infrastructure, integration with global markets, and linkages to the business community.
WHAT TO DO TO BECOME ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL NATIONS: The following points can be considered and implemented in Bangladesh so that we can become one of the most powerful nations in terms of global innovation:
* The government should be honest and sincere in their plans and policies.
* The government should practise good governance, which will lead to transparency, accountability and the rule of law and thus prevent crime and corruption and ensure sustainable development.
 * Environment of regional innovation needs policy support during the initial stage, that is, the structure of governance linking academies, companies and government.
* The government should make the best possible framework for promoting local people's participation in governance and development process as well as for articulation of local needs and mobilisation of local resources.
* The government should make selective interventions for the enterprise-academy-government relationship is not generated spontaneously.
* The local governments must be firmly involved with the centres and setting their agenda.
* The area where policies are developed must be separated from the area where they are executed (politicians are not necessarily good managers).
* The management of the centres must be carried out by professional management personnel under professional management structures. The managers must be trained in business administration (not in research or teaching-professors are not necessarily good managers also).
* People in Bangladesh may be encouraged to develop appropriate technologies that are indigenous in nature. Research should be carried out to further develop and improve these technologies.
*  A systemic approach must be promoted from the political environment to improve communication among all the associates. The quality policies, the information systems, and sharing strategic plans among the actors are some of the instruments that can be employed to achieve this goal.
* Mechanisms to evaluate the impacts of the centres and a clear commitment to management that defines short, medium and long-term goals in accordance with the goals of the regional and national governments must be established.
* The innovation environment must generate ties with local companies in general and with the social and local actors where the centre is located.
* The regional centres of innovation are dynamic structures where the generation of ties with other actors of the national innovation system must be promoted.
* The creation of public-private alliances must be encouraged.
* Strategic leadership at the regional and local levels is necessary.
* Linkages among research, extension, technology and education should be strengthened.
Finally, global innovation needs global talent. To be successful in business today, when capital, goods, talent and knowledge move quickly around the world, we need to treat global markets as a single market, build global value chains that integrate the world's best resources. By doing this, local innovation is promoted and used globally, making local innovation truly valuable in the global ecosystem. Both the public and private sectors have important roles to play in the formation of healthy innovation ecosystems. Furthermore, when they work together, as they do in developing innovation hubs, they can raise their innovation capabilities to new heights and drive corporate and national prosperity.
It is important to create an environment for innovation. It is also essential that the government gets involved as a catalyst for interaction among stakeholders, particularly regarding the mechanism that leads to a closer relationship between the academia and businesses, the promotion of the best intellectual property management practices at universities and technical institutions and actions that facilitate an increase in the number of patents.
The writer is Sr. Assistant Secretary (Research & Development) of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA). [email protected]