On May 15, a videoconference dedicated to the discussion of Azerbaijan’s indicators in the Global Innovation Index (GII) was held at the initiative of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), organized by the Innovation and Digital Development Agency under the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and supported by the Intellectual Property Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The initiative to establish direct contacts and hold discussions in various formats with the creative team of the Global Innovation Index (GII) was first proposed by representatives of the Intellectual Property Agency during a meeting with a representative of the Economics and Statistics Division of WIPO, held within the framework of the 59th session of the Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO in 2019. Since then, the Agency has played a bridging role in facilitating direct cooperation between the GII’s creative team and various state institutions of Azerbaijan.

The first such meeting, organized and initiated by the Intellectual Property Agency, was held on December 16, 2022, with the participation of WIPO experts, representatives of relevant state bodies (institutions) of our country, the Commission on Business Environment and International Rankings, as well as its affiliated working groups. As a result of the discussions held during the meeting, the number of previously observed inaccurate data regarding Azerbaijan in the Global Innovation Index reports for 2023 and 2024 was minimized. Now, the data is mainly sourced from primary sources, and direct interactions continue successfully in various formats.

At the next videoconference held on May 15, presentations were delivered by Farid Osmanov, Chairman of the Board of the Innovation and Digital Development Agency; Habip Asan, Director of the Department for Transition and Developed Countries of the Regional and National Development Sector of WIPO; and Sacha Wunsch-Vincent, Head of the Economics and Statistics Division of WIPO.

The speakers noted that in recent years, Azerbaijan’s indicators in the Global Innovation Index reports have significantly improved compared to a number of other countries, and the measures implemented in this direction have yielded positive results. They emphasized that the regular analysis of Azerbaijan-related indicators in the reports, identification of data gaps in certain areas, and the expansion of direct cooperation with the GII’s creative team can contribute to further strengthening Azerbaijan’s position in international rankings.

At the videoconference, Chief of Staff of the Intellectual Property Agency, Mr. Khudayat Hasanli, delivered a speech. Conveying the greetings of the Chairman of the Board of the Agency, Mr. Kamran Imanov, to the participants, Mr. Hasanli spoke about the work carried out by the “Special Working Group on Intellectual Property Issues,” established under the Commission on Business Environment and International Rankings. He noted that the purpose of creating this special working group is to support raising awareness about areas related to intellectual property and to ensure coordination among the Commission’s other working groups in this field. He also mentioned that on September 30 of last year, a broad meeting was held with the participation of representatives from the Commission’s working groups, during which Mr. Kamran Imanov, Chairman of the Board of the Agency and Head of the Special Working Group on Intellectual Property Issues, delivered a comprehensive presentation titled “Analysis of Azerbaijan’s Indicators in the Global Innovation Index 2024 Report.”

The Chief of Staff of the Agency emphasized that in the “Knowledge and Technology Outputs” pillar of the Global Innovation Index 2024 report, Azerbaijan achieved high rankings specifically in indicators related to intellectual property. He highlighted that the country’s position in patents improved by 13 places compared to 2023, reaching 50th place, placing Azerbaijan ahead of other South Caucasus countries in this category. In terms of PCT patent applications, the country advanced by 15 positions, ranking 72nd. For utility models, Azerbaijan ranks 49th. In the “Creative Outputs” pillar, under the intangible assets sub-category, the country ranks 49th in terms of trademarks—an improvement of 17 places compared to 2023.

Mr. Hasanli also informed the conference participants about books prepared and published by the Agency on the topic of the Global Innovation Index, authored by the Chairman of the Board of the Agency, Mr. Kamran Imanov.