Technology and Innovation Report 2021

Why in news?

• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released the Technology and Innovation Report 2021.

About the report and India’s position:

• The report analyses countries’ adaptation to frontier technologies and provides an index called "Country Readiness Index" to measure it.
• Frontier technologies include artificial intelligence, the internet of things, big data, blockchain, fifth-generation mobile telephony, three-dimensional printing, robotics, drones (remotely controlled flights), gene-editing, nanotechnology and solar power — the ones that take advantage of digitalisation and connectivity.
• The index analysed progress of countries in using frontier technologies, considering their national capacities related to physical investment, human capital and technological effort.
• India was the biggest ‘overperformer’ in frontier technologies than the country's per capita gross domestic products (GDP) would suggest as per the country-readiness index released in the report.
• India’s actual index ranking was 43, while the estimated one based on per capita income was 108. This meant that India overperformed other countries by 65 ranking positions. It was followed by the Philippines, which overperformed by 57 ranking positions.
• China was at position 25; both India and China performed well in research and development.
• This was reflective of their abundant supplies of qualified and highly skilled human resources available at a comparatively low cost.
• The United States, Switzerland and the United Kingdom were “best prepared” for frontier technologies, the report highlighted.

Prelims Question 

Technology and Innovation Report 2021 is released by:
(a)World Economic forum
(b)United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
(c)UN Development Program
(d)Technological consortium 

 Answer to the Prelims Question