30.03.21 | 2 min

However you measure it, Switzerland is top in innovation

What a beautiful picture! In the ranking of the World Intellectual Property Organization, Switzerland is named the most innovative country in the world for the tenth time in a row. In the Bloomberg Innovation Index, Switzerland ranks third worldwide and first in Europe. What is the basis for this success?

For the tenth year in a row, Switzerland tops the rankings of the Global Innovation Index (GII). The index is published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the French business university INSEAD and the Cornell University and compares around 130 countries. It looks at the prerequisites for innovation, such as education, institutions, ICT, infrastructure, market maturity, etc., on the one hand, and new creations that have emerged on the other.

Excellent environment for innovation
According to the study, Switzerland offers particularly fertile ground for innovation. In the category of «Innovation Input», it ranks second worldwide. The reasons for Switzerland’s good ranking are:

• High investment in research and development 
• Good quality of universities and their cooperation with the private sector
• Human capital: well-trained employees in knowledge-intensive jobs
• Stable political environment
• Innovation-friendly regulatory environment 
• Good infrastructure 

Switzerland is particularly characterized by the innovative strength of its economy. It boasts a high proportion of knowledge-intensive jobs and high R&D spending, which is carried out and financed by the private sector. 

High-quality developments
In the category of «Innovation Output», Switzerland ranks first worldwide. It consistently ranks among the top 3 in the following areas, among others: 

• Patents and PCT patents by origin
• Scientific and technical articles
• High technology production 
• Revenue from intellectual property (IP)

Application-oriented collaboration between research and production and the innovative strength of the private sector mean that investments in innovation in Switzerland are translated into high-quality output at an above-average rate.