It is undisputed that innovation will be the driver of recovery and progress in response to the current crisis caused by Covid-19. And, although Spain has room for improvement in global terms, it stands out internationally in a key area for growth: innovation infrastructures.

According to the latest Global Innovation Index (GII), drawn up and recently published by INSEAD Business School, Cornell University and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Spain is ranked seventh for innovation infrastructures among the 131 countries analysed. Our country stands above such potential innovators as Japan, Finland, Ireland, Hong Kong (China), Germany, Singapore and South Korea in this field, and is only behind in infrastructures in the United Kingdom, Estonia, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden and Norway.

Within the segment of infrastructures, it stands out in the categories of Ecological Sustainability, where it ranks eleventh, and in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) where it ranks sixteenth. Among the sub-categories of sustainability, its highest rankings come in Environmental performance (fourteenth position) and Environmental Certifications ISO 14001 (thirteenth position). Among the sub-categories of ICTs, it particularly stands out in E-Participation, in which it is ranked in fifth position, with a score of 98.3 out of 100, and in Government’s online service, in which it is ranked in sixteenth position.

30th most innovative country out of 131 analysed

The index, which is comprised of seven thematic blocks, assigns Spain a score of 45.6 points, ranking it in 30th global position, with the top five positions held by Switzerland (66.08), Sweden (62.47), the United States (60.56), the United Kingdom (59.78) and the Netherlands (58.76).

Apart from the block on innovative infrastructures, in which it ranks in seventh position, Spain holds 24th position in Technology Products and Knowledge; 26th position in Market Sophistication; 27th position in Human Capital and Research; 31st position in Institutions and Creative Products; and 37th position in Business Sophistication.

By way of a new feature, the Global Innovation Index has included in this latest edition the brand value of the country as one of its indicators, based on the value of its leading brands and companies. With 97.2 points out of 100, Spain has managed to Rank in 21st position. The United States, China and Japan head up this ranking, with the United States a long way ahead of the latter two, which, in turn, are a long way ahead of the rest of the world.

Innovation around the world and Covid-19

Although the GII index continues to be dominated by European Union countries and the United States, this latest edition reflects how the poles of global innovation are gradually moving towards Asia. Singapore, the only Asian country ranked in the global top ten in past editions has been joined in 2020 by South Korea, which is now ranked in 10th position. China, in 14th position, is the only middle-income economy among the countries in the top thirty spots.

Also noteworthy is the rise of such countries as the Philippines (from one 100th to 50th position), Vietnam (from 71st to 42nd) and India (from 52nd to 48th), in the top 50 ranked countries for the first time.

In Latin America, the most innovative country is Chile – in 54th position, followed by Mexico (in 55th) and Costa Rica (in 56th).

As a positive aspect in mid-pandemic, it is noteworthy that the report considers that the current health crisis can serve to boost long-term innovation throughout the globe. Although it indicates that it may be an obstacle in certain areas, there are such specific sectors as health that may benefit from progress in innovation.