WEF: Taiwan Innovation Ranks the 2nd in Asia, the 9th in World

                According to the Global Competitiveness Report 2006-2007 published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Taiwan ranks the 9th among the 125 countries included in the study worldwide. In Asia, Taiwan ranks the 2nd, behind only Japan (see accompanying chart).

The report attributes Taiwan’s outstanding performance in the field of innovation mainly to widespread university/industry research collaboration, a global third-place ranking in average per-capita utility patents, and government procurement of advanced technology products.

In addition, the report cites Taiwan’s seventh-place world ranking in “higher education and training pillar,” with both quantity and quality of higher education reflecting the government’s efforts to promote education and the development of elite personnel.

The report notes that while Taiwan’s global competitiveness ranking dropped from the 8th place in 2005 to the 13th in 2006, the island continues to “operate at a high level of efficiency.” The report pointed out that in the “Institutions Pillar” index, Taiwan’s “overall rank is weighed down by weaknesses in the institutional infrastructure,” pulling the placement down from the 22nd in 2005 to the 32nd in 2006. The problems cited were in the areas of “respect for property rights,” “independence of the judiciary,” and “the extent to which the government gives the private sector freedom to operate.”

Comparative Global Innovation Ranking

　

Country (Ranking)	Country (Ranking)	Country (Ranking)
Japan (1)	Finland (6)	Singapore (15)
Switzerland (2)	Denmark (7)	Hong Kong (18)
Germany (3)	Israel (8)	South Korea (20)
United States (4)	Taiwan (9)	Malaysia (22)
Sweden (5)	England (10)	China (57)

Source: World Economic Forum, Global Competitiveness Report 2006-2007; www.weforum.org

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