The Philippines slipped two places to 52nd in the 2026 Global Innovation Index (GII), as the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) called for increased government and private-sector investment in research and development (RandD) to strengthen the country’s innovation capacity.
The country ranked 69th in innovation inputs, down from last year, while it placed 40th in innovation outputs. The Philippines ranked 50th overall in 2025 and 53rd in 2024.
Despite the decline, the Philippines placed third among 36 lower-middle-income economies and scored above the group’s average across all innovation pillars. It remained below the regional average across the same pillars.
DOST said the Philippines has remained within a statistically consistent range of 50th to 53rd place from 2020 to 2026.
The decline in its innovation-input ranking reflects areas such as gross RandD spending, the number of science and engineering graduates, and the number of researchers.
RELATED STORY: Batang Ligtas Act tightens rules for online platforms
DOST calls for stronger RandD capacity
DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. said the country needs to expand its RandD capacity, particularly by encouraging greater private-sector investment in locally developed technologies.
‘Filipinos do much with what they have,’ Solidum said in a press release. ‘But being innovative despite constraints is not the same as having the scale of RandD capability needed to compete globally.’
DOST said it will strengthen programs supporting local industries, encourage private-sector firms to invest in RandD, and help turn scientific research into ventures that can scale.
Solidum said sectors including artificial intelligence, biotechnology, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing and climate technologies require closer coordination among government agencies, universities, industry and investors.
‘What we need is not simply more initiatives, but greater coherence among them,’ Solidum said.
He said the country’s research infrastructure should ultimately be measured by whether ideas can move from discovery to validation, industrial adoption and eventually the global market, rather than by the number of laboratories built or projects funded.
Solidum also urged government, academia and industry to adopt shared definitions of ‘technology transfer’ and ‘commercialization.’
He said differences in how institutions use the terms can make it harder to establish targets, maintain consistent reporting and communicate with international partners and investors.
Connectivity and technology adoption show gains
Despite the weaker innovation-input ranking, the GII’s Global Innovation Tracker showed that the Philippines improved in nine indicators over the short term, covering science and innovation investment, technology adoption and socioeconomic impact.
The improvements included scientific publications and RandD spending, as well as the adoption of connectivity, robots and electric vehicles. Labor productivity and life expectancy also improved.
Electric vehicle adoption recorded the largest increase, rising 629.2% from 2024 to 2025, with long-term annual growth of 161.5% between 2017 and 2025.
Venture capital, however, declined, highlighting a remaining gap in the country’s innovation ecosystem.
Solidum said stronger RandD investment could improve the competitiveness of local industries, encourage private-sector investment and create opportunities for locally developed technologies.
The GII is published annually by the World Intellectual Property Organization and ranks economies based on their innovation capacity and performance.