Biotechnology Innovation Scorecard
Education and Workforce

Biotechnology Innovation Score Summary

The top-ranked countries in Education and Workforce are the United States, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

A common question in response to the Scorecard is 'How can a country improve its ranking?' This section provides specific opportunities.

Biotechnology is a technical field by its nature. Even non-research activities require an appreciation (or more) of the science behind a company's products and services. In some industries an MBA or law degree may suffice for management-level positions it is not uncommon for lawyers and managers in biotechnology to have Master's or Doctorate degrees in science, making education an important measure of a country’s capacity for biotechnology innovation.

So, to answer the question of how to improve a country's ranking on the scorecard, the first place to look is often the quantity and quality of science graduates the country produces. Often in order to improve these outputs requires amending supportive polices and foundations.

The chart below shows the country scores for Education and Workforce, ordered by rank and alphabetically by country name. Scroll down to the Education and Workforce metrics for highlights of top performers in each metric.

Education and Workforce

Top Scores in Education and Workforce

Metric Highlights

Scores in these individual metrics are averaged to produce the overall category score shown above


Post-secondary science graduates / capita

The top-ranked countries in Post-secondary science graduates / capita are New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Ireland.

PhD graduates in life sciences / capita

The top-ranked countries in PhD graduates in life sciences / capita are New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Brain gain

The top-ranked countries in Brain gain are the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.

R&D personnel / employment

The top-ranked countries in R&D personnel / employment are Israel, Denmark, and Finland.

Talent retention

The top-ranked countries in Talent retention are Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Chile.

Copyright © 2024 thinkBiotech LLC. Source data from Scientific American Worldview