The World of Innovation: from Indicators to Policies
One of the round table discussions at the VII Open Innovation Forum (15-17 October, Skolkovo) focused on using various indices and rankings to adjust goals and objectives, and assess effectiveness of innovation policies. HSE ISSEK members Vitaly Roud and Evgeny Kutsenko took part in the debates, speaking about applying the Global Innovation Index and the ISSEK-maintained Russian Regional Innovation Development Ranking in management practices on the regional and city levels.
Global Innovation Ranking
Vitaly Roud, Senior Research Fellow at the ISSEK Laboratory for Economics of Innovation provided a detailed overview of the structure and specific features of the Global Innovation Index calculated by Cornell University (US), INSEAD Business School, and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
According to him, the GII performs an important integrating function, bringing into the professional agenda the full range of dimensions associated with creation and application of innovations in the country. The extended scope of measurement (80 or more specific indicators) for more than 120 countries with different economic configurations, institutions, cultural and attitudinal paradigms opens very rich analytical opportunities. Up to a point, the list of such indicators can serve as a check list for assessing priorities of national innovation policies. It becomes possible to benchmark economies 'close' to each other in various senses using most of the relevant measurements associated with innovation development in the present-day professional debates. Speaking about more interesting conclusions the expert noted the common features the leaders share (focus on efficient transformation of resources into results, as opposed to using more resources), various competitive advantages in low, medium, and high per-capita income economies.
Evgeny Kutsenko, Head of the Russian Cluster Observatory, commented on the new indicator included in the GII 2018 ranking — innovative clusters. It provided the basis for a sub-ranking where Moscow was put into a sufficiently high (30th) position straight away. Evgeny outlined the strengths which allowed the capital city receive such a ranking, and noted some of its weaknesses, in particular regarding commercialisation of R&D results.
Calculation of the Global Innovation Index is coordinated by the International Advisory Board one of whose members is Leonid Gokhberg, HSE First Vice Rector and ISSEK Director. The ISSEK leading experts also took part in producing analytical reports published along with the ranking in 2017, 2016, 2014, and 2012.
The National Toolset
Evgeny also presented two of the ISSEK’s own innovation measurement projects. The results of the first one are published in the III National Report on innovation in Russia, traditionally produced by the Russian Venture Company, Russian Ministry of Economic Development, and the RF Government’s Expert Council. This year ISSEK experts also took part in preparing the report, significantly extending the panel of innovation indicators to more correctly benchmark the country against other nations. For more about this panel of indicators see '108 Tools to Measure and Manage Innovation'.
The other project Evgeny commented upon in his presentation was the Russian Regional Innovation Development Ranking. Currently its methodology is being updated, with more indicators added. In particular, the new indicators include export statistics, digital development, creative industries; the number of indicators measuring education will be increased, while the 'Quality of Innovation Development' section will be radically restructured. The developers’ team intend to discuss these and other innovations with members of federal and regional authorities and international experts during the VIII Foresight Conference HSE will be hosting on 15–16 November.
Valeria Vlasova, student at the HSE Faculty of Business and Management, contributed to this publication