On September 27, 2024, at Singapore Intellectual Property Week, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) released an advance report from the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2024. The report shows that China once again ranks first in the number of top 100 science and technology innovation clusters globally for the second consecutive year.
The innovation clusters in the GII are defined as cities or city groups. Their rankings are based on two main indicators: the location of inventors listed in Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications and the location of authors of published scientific papers. WIPO aggregates and ranks these indicators to identify the world's most active hubs for scientific and technological activities.
According to the report, China now has 26 clusters in the global top 100, up from 24 last year. The United States follows with 20 clusters, Germany with 8, and India and South Korea each with 4 clusters.
In the top 10 global science and technology innovation clusters, seven are located in Asia, while three are in the United States. The Tokyo-Yokohama cluster in Japan ranks first, followed by the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster in China. Beijing has risen to third place, while the San Jose-San Francisco cluster in California is the leading U.S. innovation hub, ranked sixth overall.
Although there were few changes in the top 10 cluster rankings, the dynamic growth of clusters within the top 100 indicates strong innovation momentum in middle-income economies, especially in China. Other middle-income economies, such as Cairo in Egypt, Chennai in India, and Istanbul in Turkey, also performed remarkably well.
Daren Tang, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization, stated that technology innovation clusters are an important foundation of a country's innovation ecosystem. These clusters not only thrive in developed countries, but also gradually rise in emerging economies. The World Intellectual Property Organization will continue to support these clusters, helping them utilize intellectual property and translate research results into practical solutions.