PCT Newsletter
September 2026 | No. 09/2026
Report reveals world’s top innovation clusters
A third of all PCT filings originate in just five locations
China and the United States between them host nearly half of the world’s top 100 geographical hotspots for innovative activity, according to a new ranking released by WIPO.
The GII innovation cluster ranking was produced as part of the Global Innovation Index (GII), the annual study of countries’ innovation performance, and uses detailed geocoding of data on patent filings, scientific publications and venture capital deals to pinpoint the regions and cities where innovation is happening.
The results highlight the global importance of a relatively small number of geographical networks or clusters that bring together critical masses of researchers, inventors and investors. The top five clusters – Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Guangzhou (China and Hong Kong, China), Tokyo–Yokohama (Japan), San Jose–San Francisco (United States), Beijing (China) and Seoul (Republic of Korea) – between them account for nearly one third (32.9%) of all PCT filings in 2026.
China hosts more top innovation clusters than any other economy with 25 and the United States hosts 20, followed by Germany (7), India (4) and the United Kingdom (4).
The full Global Innovation Index 2026 will be released on 29 September and covered in next month’s issue of the PCT Newsletter.
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