STATE minister in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Dr Norman Dunn has lauded Jamaica’s upward move in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2020 ranking.

The report disclosed that Jamaica’s ranking has moved from 81st to 72nd in 2020, ranking seventh among the 18 economies in Latin American and the Caribbean, and performing above average in three out of the seven GII pillars: institutions, business sophistication and creative output. Jamaica is also ranked number one in the Caribbean.

Switzerland, Sweden, the US, the UK and the Netherlands lead the innovation ranking, and the top 10 positions are dominated by high-income countries.

The GII ranks world economies according to their innovation capabilities. Consisting of roughly 80 indicators grouped into innovation inputs and outputs, it aims to capture the multidimensional facets of innovation.

State minister Dunn, who was addressing staff of the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) at their Trafalgar Road office last week, praised the work of the agency.

“I must commend you on the tremendous work that you have been doing over the years in pushing intellectual property, and protecting the work of our innovators and inventors in Jamaica. We see JIPO as a piece of the puzzle in the governance structure of the country, particularly, in relation to the treaties that you sign, the innovations that you might have, and the intellectual capacity that we have that needs to be highlighted and protected. You are like the unsung hero. “We need to look at what we have that is already appreciated externally, and build on our strengths,” Dunn urged.

He encouraged the JIPO staff to continue to look beyond the traditional music and sports arenas to pockets of new thought, which will lead to income-generating opportunities.

“The everyday man needs to understand that his ideas are not foolish. We need to empower them with confidence and opportunities. This can only benefit Jamaica,” he underscored.

Meanwhile, Executive Director, Jamaica Intellectual Property Office, Lilyclaire Bellamy, said that “this move is a significant achievement for the Government and people of Jamaica, and signals the recognition by the Government of Jamaica of the importance of providing support to areas such as research and development (R&D). The Government has invested in these areas which has facilitated the upward movement.

“We encourage all our innovators and creatives to utilise the registration system offered at the JIPO, avail themselves of the wealth of information, and utilise the services of the Intellectual Property Office,” Bellamy stated.

The Global Innovation Index (GII) is co-published by Cornell University, European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD), and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).