Asia 'epicentre for global innovation'

Asia has been identified as the 'epicentre for global innovation' after falling behind the United States for a short period.

That is the conclusion of the 2017 Top 100 Global Innovators report, published by Clarivate Analytics. The annual report highlights the most successful organisations in the world that are active in innovation through research and development, protection of their IP and the achievement of commercial success.

It also reinforces a prevailing trend among innovative businesses of prioritising investment in unique, enduring inventions – for which patents are successfully brought to market and enjoy greater global commercial potential.

Some 45 Asian companies appear on this year’s list, a 15 per cent increase over 2016. There are 36 North American companies appearing on the list, where newcomers like Facebook, Molex and Western Digital join Apple, Abbott Laboratories, Boeing, Microsoft and others.

Asian organisations outperformed the rest of the Top 100 in all metrics during 2017, indicating that the region is producing higher quality innovation, seeking to commercialise its innovation globally and creating more impactful innovation than both the remaining Top 100 Global Innovators and organisations outside the Top 100.

Now in its seventh year, Top 100 Global Innovators tracks innovation based on a propriety patent data-driven analysis from Derwent Innovation and Derwent World Patents Index (DWPI). The index provides editorially enhanced, authoritative and accurate patent data, and is trusted by more than 40 patent offices worldwide.

The metrics produced reveal a combined indicator score used to identify the world’s most innovative organisations. The report’s methodology examines the portfolio strength and quality of each organisation, assessing four key areas:

• Patent volume: in order to be considered, an organisation must have had at least 100 inventions protected by a granted patent in the past five years;
• A high ratio of success in obtaining patent grants;
• The globalisation or international breadth of patent filings across Europe, China, Japan and the USA; and
• Influence of how a patent/invention is cited externally by other organisations.

The organisations in the 2017 Top 100 represent three continents and 11 different markets, with major innovation hubs Japan and the USA accounting for 75 per cent of the list. Eighty-five of the 2017 Top 100 Global Innovators also appeared on the 2016 list, and six are new to the report.

Daniel Videtto, president of IP and standards at Clarivate Analytics, said: 'As the world experiences geopolitical shifts and significant economic change, the one constant that enables leaders to weather volatility is a laser focus on innovation. It helps develop competitive advantage, leading to the creation of sustainable economies that make possible societal improvements and the enhanced wellbeing of citizens.'