The United States ranked eighth in innovation leadership among 110 countries, according to a new report produced jointly by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), and the Manufacturing Institute (MI). Singapore was the highest ranked country on the list, followed by South Korea, Switzerland, Iceland, and Ireland. The BCG/NAM/MI International Innovation Index is part of a broad research study that looks at both the business outcomes of innovation and the government's ability to encourage and support innovation through public policy. "U.S. manufacturing innovation leadership is at risk," says John Engler, NAM's president and CEO. "We've fallen behind countries in East Asia and Europe. America cannot afford to lose its manufacturing innovation edge and the wealth and jobs that it generates throughout our economy." Six states were individually scored above average in their innovation policy environment and performance: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New York, and Washington. The study was comprised of more than 1,000 senior executives from NAM-member companies across all industries, along with in-depth interviews with 30 of the executives, and a comparison of the "innovation friendliness" of 100 countries and all 50 U.S. states individually. Factors included such outputs as patents, technology transfer, and business performance, as well as inputs such as fiscal policy, education policy, and the innovation environment.