19 March 2024Electronics and computing businesses lead Clarivate’s Top 100 Global Innovators 2024 list
Clarivate has issued its list for the Top 100 Global Innovators, 2024, which highlights the companies and research institutions that invest heavily into innovation, allowing them to act as a driving force in shaping their industries.There are two qualifying hurdles based on inventive activity that entities must pass in order to be recognised in the top 100 list. Innovating organisations must have filed more than 500 patent applications since 2000 and be issued more than 100 granted patents within a five-year evaluation window of 2024. Institutions are then ranked by their international presence and the strength of their invention.Samsung Electronics tops the list of global innovatorsSamsung Electronics leads the list, one of 18 all-time recipients that have retained Top 100 Global Status for the last 13 years. Three companies re-entered the top 100 after a period of absence: Tencent (China), Daikin Industries (Japan), and ZEISS (Germany). Two companies have been awarded Top 100 status for the first time: Coretronic (Taiwan), and Disco (Japan).Japan maintains its position as the biggest contributor to the top 100 (38 entities), with more than half of those that made the top 10 coming from Japan, operating in sectors such as electronics, computing equipment and automotives. Whilst Japan’s presence is strong, the representation of Japanese companies has not increased since last year. Entities from Mainland China, however, have made marginal gains in this year’s edition. Electronics and computer equipment the largest industry sectorIndustry segments have also seen an increase in the variety of representation in this edition of the list, following the trend seen in last year’s report. Electronics and computing equipment is the largest industry sector, made up of 26 innovating organisations. Industrial systems saw an increase of 4 representatives, whilst semiconductors (+2), and software, media and fintech (+1), all saw small gains. Representation in the field of chemicals and materials declined (-3), as did industrial conglomerates (-2).High-tech sectors predicted to lead future innovator rankingsWithin the report, it is forecasted that entities within high-tech sectors such as telecommunications and software, media and fintech are expected to improve their rankings within the Top 1,000 Global Innovators ranking. Based on predictions from the top 1,000 organisations, the government and academic research segment is expected to grow, following the inclusion of three institutions from the public sector in this year’s list.Furthermore, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Mainland China are forecast to improve dramatically in the average organisational Top 1,000 Global Innovators ranking by 2028, commanding the top 4 spots.Smaller businesses changing the patent landscapeBased on an analysis of the global innovation ecosystem, focusing on the top 1,000, it is evident that the rapid rise of patent activity has seen increased competition, with more activity coming from smaller companies. Clarivate’s findings show that the share of global innovation attributable to the top 1,000 entities is decreasing, going from over 33% in 2016 to 17% today.With smaller organisations contributing more to new innovation, the landscape is changing. Smaller innovators pose an ever-growing risk to the market share currently possessed by larger enterprises.Our servicesAt Mathys & Squire, we work with both large and small enterprises, building close and longstanding relationships with our clients to establish robust defensive and offensive IP portfolios that generate and maximise commercial value in this ever-changing landscape.