Muscat – Oman has secured the 69th position globally out of 132 countries evaluated in the Global Innovation Index 2023. The report, released by the World Intellectual Property Organization in Muscat on September 27, highlights Oman’s growing prominence in the field of innovation.

The Global Innovation Index assesses nations across seven key pillars, providing insights into their innovative capabilities. Oman’s remarkable advancement by 10 positions from previous rankings underscores its commitment to fostering innovation and technological progress.

Notably, Oman’s exceptional performance was most evident in the areas of human capital, research, and infrastructure. This accomplishment reflects the nation’s dedication to investing in education, research, and advanced infrastructure, making it an increasingly attractive destination for innovation-driven endeavors.

The report further revealed Oman’s progress in several sub-indices, with advancements ranging from 24 to 93 positions compared to the previous year. For instance, Oman made a remarkable leap of 73 positions in the ‘patents by origin’ sub-index, reflecting its growing innovation output. Additionally, Oman secured the 2nd position globally in the ratio of science and engineering graduates to total graduates and the 9th position in government expenditure per student.

Dr Saif bin Abdullah al Hiddabi, Undersecretary of Research and Innovation in the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MoHERI) and head of Oman’s National Team for Improving Oman’s Performance in the Global Innovation Index, stated, “This progress was the result of collaboration and concerted efforts among various national institutions and programmes to bolster innovation indicators.”

He added, “Oman had undertaken numerous policies and decisions aimed at improving the investment environment and diversifying the economy, resulting in a remarkable improvement of 10 positions in just one year.”

Dr Al Hiddabi also emphasised the ongoing efforts to further enhance these indicators in forthcoming reports.