Venezuela: The route for innovation
Cástor González-Escobar
Innovation is the product of a creative process that derives from the observation of problems and situations that demand solutions, which once generated, satisfy collective needs and therefore potentially generate economic benefits for their creators. Hence, the more people benefit from this solution and the greater the impact of the problem it solves, the higher will also be the fruit of the retribution. At the same time, the more training of the creator and the better environment in which he operates, creative activity also increases not only from a quantitative point of view, but also qualitatively, aiming and betting many times to dominate and conquer the most immense challenges. Therefore, although what some call a spark, and others, lighting, play an important role when it comes to the manifestation of genius, it is also important the environment and conditions in which inspiration is cultivated so that this creative flow is constant, increases and produces more and more benefits.
In our last two articles published under the titles “La Venezuela Naranja” and “Las Manchas de la Naranja” we were referring, on the one hand, to that abundant natural and intuitive creativity of the Venezuelan, based on the pure need to emerge in the middle of a precarious country; and on the other, to the absence of conditions that limit that innate condition to create and develop without limits; so on this occasion, we will refer to those elements that must be cultivated and taken into account to harvest creations, just as a fruit is harvested after laborious cultivation of the land.
For talking about innovation and the route to be followed to promote it, it is essential to walk through what we could call the Bible on the matter, which is the Global Innovation Index (GII), a publication that reached its thirteenth edition this year. under the initiative of the European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD), Cornell University and the World Intellectual Property Organization, with the collaboration of the confederations of industries of India and Brazil, which has become the first reference to consider when it comes to measuring the performance of an average of 130 economies in the field, who submit to evaluation and measurement, at least 80 parameters that allow them to be placed in a ranking to know the place they occupy in the world in terms of innovation. Thus, unlike baseball, where statistics are useful to display records and justify the rise or fall of a player’s value in the market, the ranking derived from the GII is not a contest to brag about how innovative a jurisdiction is, but rather a tool for the design, implementation and adjustment of public policies, because today as never before there is full awareness that the more the creative industries are promoted, the greater the socioeconomic development and, because of this, the collective well-being.
Venezuela today and for several years now lacks statistics and as shown, it is enough to take a walk through the website of the institution in charge of its management, the National Institute of Statistics (INE), to verify what has been stated; In this regard, the different parameters that should be considered to measure its innovative activity are not the exception and are absent. In fact, it is no coincidence that although far from even the first half of the ranking, the country has also remained absent from the GII since 2017, despite having participated in its first 9 editions, so it is not at all reckless to affirm that we sail aimlessly in the dark, in the competitive global territory of genius and creations.
The Global Innovation Index, led today by Switzerland, escorted by Sweden, the United States, Denmark, Finland, Singapore, Germany and the Republic of Korea, in the top ten positions, and where also the first three Latin American economies that appear in the ranking , as are Chile, Mexico, Costa Rica and Brazil, appear only in positions 54, 55, 56 and 62, respectively, among the 131 countries evaluated in 2020, shows us a reliable map that allows us to visualize where we have to pay our attention, for building a route to follow to become an innovative nation. Thus, the parameters and indicators evaluated are not considered in isolation but as a whole, where the bases or supports of the creative economy are appreciated, on the one hand, and its results, on the other, so it will not be enough only to have a solid and reliable institutional framework or a good educational infrastructure, but this should also manifest itself in tangible fruits in the area.
Regarding its bases, the route of innovation must first consider the institutional framework, for which the political, regulatory and business environment is taken into account; then, what corresponds to human capital, where education comes into play at all levels, and investment in research and development; continuing with infrastructure, which would include the availability of communication and information technology networks, physical infrastructure in general, and sustainability; passing through the aspects related to the market, with the respective considerations to the availability of credit and financing, investments, and commercial policies, competition and commercial scaling; ending with what they call the sophistication of the business environment, which addresses what pertains to qualified human resources, the linking of innovative activity with the economy and the absorption of knowledge. Regarding the results derived from the bases described, the IGI evaluates everything related to the creation, impact and dissemination of knowledge, and then, more specifically, the generation of intangible assets, creative products and services, and creativity in the digital environment.
The foregoing constitutes in synthesis the route of innovation, and in our next articles we will refer in more detail to each of those elements that constitute the milestones that must be marked on the map that lead to that creative territory in a sustainable way.
(*) Partner at GR LEX AMERICAS – LL.M. Intellectual Property
Twitter: @castorgonzalez | Instagram: @castorvzla | castor@grlexamericas.com
Op-Ed originally published in Spanish in the portals www.elnacional.com | www.lapatilla.com and www.porlacaledelmedio.com
l
