China innovation index up 6.2% in 2012

The China Innovation Index (CII), a barometer of innovation capability, rose 6.2 percent in 2012 to 148.2 points, the country's statistics authority said Tuesday. Compared with a base number of 100 points for 2005, the new figure represents a compound annual increase of 5.8 percent, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in a statement. In April 2013, an NBS research team for the first time released the CII results for the period from 2005 to 2011 amid the country's push to build an innovation-driven society. The index comprises of four sub-indices, which measures the country's innovation environment, input, output and effects. The sub-index for environment rose 4.3 percent to 144 points in 2012, showing that the country continued to see a better environment for innovation. The sub-index for innovation input surged 8.2 percent to 152.2, while that for output rose 9.5 percent to 164.2 points. The Chinese government has underlined the significance of independent innovation on many occasions. China will establish an innovation mechanism that effectively connects enterprises, universities and research institutions, according to a key document unveiled last November for deepening reforms during the next decade.