This story is from August 17, 2016

India notches up innovation ranking to 66 from 81

India's ranking in the Global Innovation Index (2016) has climbed 15 spots to 66 among 128 countries. Notably, India ranks first in the world when it comes to Information Communications and Technology (ICT) exports.
India notches up innovation ranking to 66 from 81
Notably, India ranks first in the world when it comes to Information Communications and Technology (ICT) exports. (Representative image)
MUMBAI: India's ranking in the Global Innovation Index (2016) has climbed 15 spots to 66 among 128 countries. Notably, India ranks first in the world when it comes to Information Communications and Technology (ICT) exports.
China, with a rank of 25, joined the list of the top 25 most innovative countries. Last year, China was ranked at 29. Switzerland continues to the top performer for the sixth consecutive year, in the global innovation index (GII), followed by Sweden and UK.
This index, which was released on Monday in Geneva by World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), Cornell University and INSEAD, ranks countries according to their innovation capabilities and results.

Improved university rankings have helped India rank second on the 'quality of innovation' front for 'middle-income' countries, displacing Brazil. China continues to lead the pack. The calibre of universities, number of scientific publications and international patent filings help determine the quality of innovation index (Refer graphics).
The report, states: "India's positive move is the result of its performance in university rankings, where it comes in second among middle-income economies and 20 overall; and in patents, where it now ranks third among middle-income economies and 37 overall."
India ranks among the top 50 countries on two pillars: market sophistication (33) and knowledge and technology outputs (43). Within the parameter of 'human capital and research', India's data coverage has increased, specifically in graduates in science and engineering (with an overall rank of 8). This factor was missing in the 2015 ratings. It helped propel India's overall ranking.

As regards China's rise in ranking, the report points out that a symbolic first step in closing the divide between developed and developing countries has been made: "China is the first middle-income economy to join the top 25 of the GII, a group typically composed of high-income countries.
India, which is part of the Central and Southern Asia region (which doesn't include China), ranked first on a regional level, followed by Kazakhstan and Iran. These two countries have an overall ranking of 75 and 78. Pakistan with an overall ranking of 119, is at the bottom of this regional pile.
Chandrajit Banerjee, director, CII (which is a knowledge partner), said: "The commitment of India to innovation and improved innovation metrics is strong and growing, helping to improve the innovation environment. This trend will help gradually lift India closer to other top-ranked innovation economies."
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