The GII theme this year is “Energizing the World with Innovation.” Access to energy is a prerequisite for improving standards of living, economic development and – in the context of the Global Innovation Index – a necessary ingredient to innovation. It is estimated that by 2050 the world will require twice as much energy as it needs today, including in regions that currently have no access to energy sources or energy networks. At the same time, current approaches to energy supply are unsustainable and the need to reduce emissions requires a shift towards cleaner and more efficient methods to produce energy through traditional sources as well as to ramp up the use of renewable sources.
The GII 2018 analyses the energy innovation landscape of the next decade and identify possible new technological breakthroughs and innovative approaches along with their sources at the country, region, or firm level. The GII 2018 also explores innovations in energy production, energy storage, energy transport and distribution, and energy consumption.
About the Global Innovation Index
The Global Innovation Index (GII) aims to capture the multi-dimensional facets of innovation and provide the tools that can assist in tailoring policies to promote long-term output growth, improved productivity, and job growth. The GII helps to create an environment in which innovation factors are continually evaluated. It provides a key tool and a rich database of detailed metrics for economies, which in 2018 encompasses 126 economies, representing 90.8% of the world’s population and 96.3% of global GDP.
The Global Innovation Index 2018 (GII), in its 11th edition this year, will be released on July 10, and continues to be co-published by Cornell University, INSEAD, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO, an agency of the United Nations). The core of the GII Report consists of a ranking of world economies’ innovation capabilities and results. Over the last ten years, the GII has established itself as a leading reference on innovation. Understanding in more detail the human aspects behind innovation is essential for the design of policies that help promote economic development and richer innovation-prone environments locally. Recognizing the key role of innovation as a driver of economic growth and prosperity, and the need for a broad horizontal vision of innovation applicable to developed and emerging economies, the GII includes indicators that go beyond the traditional measures of innovation such as the level of research and development.