UAE seen rising in innovation index
dubai — The UAE’s ranking is expected to improve further in the Global Innovation Index this year, which will be released in the summer, a senior official said on Sunday.
“From the numbers we have collected so far, we are optimistic that there is going to be another upgrade [in the UAE’s ranking] this year. We are optimistic about the unique initiatives which have been implemented over the last 12 months. I believe we are on the right track,” said Abdullah Sultan Alfan Al Shamsi, assistant under-secretary for the trade remedies sector at the UAE Ministry of Economy.
Released by the World Intellectual Property Organisation and Insead, the index ranked the UAE 36th last year compared to 38th in the previous year. The UAE was also ranked among the top three innovative economies in the Middle East and North Africa region.
“We have been collaborating with government departments, private and educational sectors. We were able to grow the UAE’s rank from 38th in 2018 to 36th in 2019 and we expect in the summer of 2020 to have another upgrade in this rank,” Al Shamsi told Khaleej Times on the sidelines of First International Innovation Forum, organised by the Ministry of Economy in cooperation with Dubai Customs.
“This rank consists of 80 subKPIs and one of the key contribution is from R&D to GDP. In 2017, our contribution from applied R&D operations was 0.89 per cent and last year it improved to 1 per cent. We are looking to improve this rank equally with other subKPIs,” he said.
The ministry has a set of objectives such as creating awareness about innovation and making the UAE as a role model for other regional countries in this field, he added.
“Innovation is not necessarily a commodity or product but it is about lifestyle and culture in order to make the lives of people simpler. Overall, the objective of this kind of activity is to raise awareness and to make the UAE as a role model for other regional countries,” he added.