Manama, January 19 (BNA): A doctoral dissertation at a university in Bahrain found that Central Asian countries have achieved an effective innovation ecosystem performance, while the African region is the highest.
The study concluded that the GCC countries, Eastern Europe and Africa were not as effective as Central Asia in the input-oriented model.
The study found that the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Eastern Europe and Central Asia were not as efficient as Africa in production.
The Gulf Cooperation Council was established in 1981 and includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The thesis, which is part of the requirements for obtaining a PhD in Innovation Management, dealt with the regional innovation system and its vital role in enhancing added value in national economies.
Researcher Mohammed Abdullah Al-Saffar said that the regional innovation system relies on human capital and the ability to convert patents into value-added products.
He indicated that his research aims to assess the efficiency of the regional innovation system for countries in transition, including the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa, and the top ten innovative countries according to the Global Innovation Index for 2021.
Factors used to assess efficiency included research and development expenditure, number of researchers, foreign direct investment, patents, private patent applications, published scientific research, scientific production index, high-tech exports, and information and communication technology.
Secondary data was collected from the Global Innovation Index (2014-2021) report to assess the efficiency of regional innovation.
In light of the results, the thesis recommended investing in innovation, including research and development expenditures and human capital, to develop the national capacity for innovation.