The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) released the preliminary report of the 2024 Global Innovation Index (GII) during the Singapore Intellectual Property Week on Aug 27. The report reveals that China has the highest number of top-100 global tech innovation clusters for the second year in a row. Wuhan, as a tech innovation cluster, ranks 13th globally and 5th nationally.

The GII defines tech innovation clusters as cities or city clusters, ranked based on two indicators – the location of inventors in Patent Cooperation Treaty applications and the location of authors of published scientific papers. WIPO compiles and ranks these indicators to identify the most active regions for tech activities globally.

WIPO releases the 2024 GII Report, with Wuhan ranking 13th globally. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

The report shows that China boasts 26 of the top 100 global tech innovation clusters, up from last year's 24. Leading the pack is the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster (ranked 2nd globally), followed by Beijing (3rd), Shanghai-Suzhou (5th), Nanjing (9th), and Wuhan (13th).

The United States holds 20 top 100 tech innovation clusters, ranking second globally. Germany has eight, while India and South Korea each have four.

Although the top 10 tech innovation clusters saw little change in ranking, the changes within the top 100 indicate a strong trend of increasing innovation among middle-income economies, particularly in China. Other cities in middle-income economies like Cairo in Egypt, Chennai in India, and Istanbul in Turkiye also performed well.

WIPO Director General Daren Tang emphasized that tech innovation clusters are crucial to national innovation ecosystems. These clusters are thriving not only in developed countries but also in emerging economies. WIPO will continue to support these clusters, helping them employ intellectual property to transform research into practical solutions.