MISSOURI INVENTION INDEX – MARCH 2025

The Invention Index measures a country’s or state’s innovation output by comparing GDP growth with patent production growth. 

Missouri Invention Index March 2025: 1.07% (B- grade)

Missouri Invention Index over the last year:

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).

Discussion:

In March, the Missouri Invention Index scored a positive 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 world continues to recover from the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is unclear if there is any backlog of applications awaiting approval or if the department has fully caught up. If approvals are not yet caught up, we may see a decrease in approvals – and a reduced Invention Index – in the coming months/years as the state feels the full economic impact of companies closing and/or being forced to minimize their staffing and therefore minimize their R&D work hours.

Table of Invention Index Scores:

Analysis of March 2025 Invention Index Score

In March 2025, the Invention Index score stands at 1.07%, with a B- grade. This is consistent with the scores for February 2025 and September 2024, both of which also received a 1.07% (B- grade). This suggests a period of stable, low performance for Missouri’s invention index during those months. While this score reflects some level of stability, it is not a high score, especially when compared to higher-scoring months.

The January 2025 score (1.18%, A- grade) and December 2024 score (1.14%, B+ grade) are both noticeably higher than March’s 1.07%. January’s higher score could indicate a more favorable climate for innovation in Missouri during that period, reflecting potentially better outcomes in invention activities, while December’s slight decrease (compared to January) still shows a strong performance.

On the other hand, November 2024 saw a dip to 1.04% (C+ grade), which is lower than March’s score. This indicates a decline in the performance of Missouri’s innovation environment for that particular month. The October 2024 score of 1.27% (A+ grade) stands out as the peak value, suggesting a particularly strong month for innovation, possibly reflecting specific positive events or trends in Missouri’s invention landscape.

Overall, the March 2025 score is on the lower end of the spectrum when compared to the peak score in October 2024, and it aligns with similar scores seen in September and February. The data indicates that while there is some variability, the overall trend seems to fluctuate within a narrow range, with a notable dip in November.

Learn more about the Invention Index here.

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 contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

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