MISSISSIPPI INVENTIONINDEX | APRIL 2025

April 2025: 0.85% (D grade)

Mississippi inventionINDEX April 2025: 0.85% (D grade)

The inventionINDEX measures innovation output by comparing GDP growth with patent production growth. 

Anything over C grade is positive sentiment; anything under C is negative outlook/sentiment. Using that sentiment, it is possible to observe trends over time, and also compare states/countries. In doing so, we can predict which states have the best chance to recover economically from the pandemic (or any other economic incident that may occur).

Mississippi inventionINDEX Score Analysis: Last 6 Months

Over the last six months, Mississippi’s inventionINDEX has shown notable fluctuations. The highest point during this period was in November 2024, registering a strong 1.44%, suggesting a significant uptick in innovative activity. However, the score dipped sharply in December 2024 to 0.68%, followed by a recovery to 1.10% in January 2025. Since then, the score has seen a gradual decline, reaching 0.85% by April 2025. Despite the drop from January’s peak, April’s score still represents a modest increase compared to December.

A higher inventionINDEX score is typically indicative of a thriving innovation environment. In November and January, the elevated scores could point to increased patent filings, startup activity, or research output. Such momentum boosts local economic potential, attracts investment, and signals a healthy intellectual property climate. These periods often align with policy support or academic breakthroughs, encouraging continued technological development.

Conversely, lower scores like those in December and March may raise concerns. A decline can suggest slowed innovation, funding challenges, or institutional barriers. Sustained low scores risk deterring venture capital and reducing job creation in R&D sectors. If not addressed, this could erode Mississippi’s competitiveness in technology and innovation-intensive industries.

Discussion:

In April, the Mississippi inventionINDEX scored a negative sentiment which was lower than the previous year’s average and underperformed the downward trend for the year. This is in contrast to the prior 12 months, which experienced an upward trend. 

As the economy continues to stabilize in the post-pandemic era, it remains uncertain whether any backlog of applications still exists or if the department has returned to normal processing timelines. The inventionINDEX could also be affected by lingering consequences from the pandemic, such as company closures, reduced workforces, and limited R&D capabilities, which may still be impacting current operations.

Learn More:

Are you thinking of patenting any of your bright ideas? Did you know your research work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please check out our free online eligibility test.

Swanson Reed’s Mississippi office provides R&D tax credit consulting and advisory services to Jackson, Gulfport, Southaven, Hattiesburg, Biloxi, Meridian, Tupelo, Greenville, Olive Branch, and Horn Lake.

Feel free to book a quick teleconference with one of R&D tax specialists at a time that is convenient for you, if you would like to learn more about R&D tax credit opportunities.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is the largest Specialist R&D tax credit advisory firm in the United States. With offices nationwide, we are one of the only firms globally to exclusively provide R&D tax credit consulting services to our clients. We have been exclusively providing R&D tax credit claim preparation and audit compliance solutions for over 30 years.

Swanson Reed hosts daily free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPAs.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/free-webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.