How can laboratory discoveries be turned into new products and brought to global markets? This is a challenge facing innovation ecosystems worldwide. According to the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2026 recently released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), China remains in 10th place globally, holding the top-ten position it first reached last year. China excels in innovation outputs, especially ranking first worldwide in knowledge and technology outputs for the second consecutive year. The Bilingual Weekly explores how China fosters collaboration among innovation clusters and promotes the commercialization and utilization of intellectual property (IP), tracing the path from cutting-edge research to industrial application.
From innovation inputs to outputs: What drives China's innovation advantage?
The ability to transform innovation inputs into tangible outputs is an important measure of the efficiency of an economy's innovation system. According to GII 2026, China ranks 22nd globally in innovation inputs and 5th in innovation outputs. China is the most prominent outlier with a high ratio of outputs to inputs, even compared with high-income economies. This suggests that China's innovation advantage lies not only in sustained R&D investment, but also in its ability to turn innovation resources into knowledge, technological breakthroughs and market value.
"China continues to give high priority to investments in science, technology and innovation. That sustained commitment gives good reason for optimism. China is well placed to continue performing strongly in the GII and, more importantly, to turn its innovation strengths into new opportunities for growth and development," said Carsten Fink, WIPO's Chief Economist.
China's top rankings in seven individual indicators further demonstrate the vitality of its innovation system. Among them, the country ranks first globally in three indicators including utility models by origin/bn PPP$ GDP, trademarks by origin/bn PPP$ GDP and industrial designs by origin/bn PPP$ GDP, reflecting the dynamism of its innovation activity. China also climbed from 13th place last year to first this year in the "unicorn valuation, % GDP" indicator, highlighting the value-creation capacity and growth potential of its innovative businesses.
From breakthroughs to collaboration: How do Chinese innovation clusters thrive?
Innovation clusters do more than bring together resources. By connecting research, capital and industry, they help innovation flourish. According to GII 2026, China has ranked first globally in the number of global top 100 innovation clusters for the fourth consecutive year. The Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster retains the top spot, while Beijing ranks fourth, Shanghai-Suzhou 6th, Hangzhou 13th, Nanjing 15th, Wuhan 17th, and Chengdu 20th.
The Hangzhou cluster's broadly balanced performance in metrics including PCT applications, scientific publications and venture capital deals demonstrates the benefits of coordinated innovation. "Innovation has become a defining characteristic of Hangzhou as a city and of its industries," said Shi Yongfeng, president of the Hangzhou Science and Technology Information Institute. Hangzhou has explored various ways to leverage IP to promote scientific and technological innovation. These include cultivating high-value patents and fostering collaborative innovation among universities and research institutes, enterprises and service providers; pioneering models that link patent commercialization with equity participation and "use first, pay later" arrangements; and advancing pilot reforms of the data IP system. These efforts support Hangzhou's ambition to become a leading innovation hub in Zhejiang, a major innovation center in China and an influential player globally, according to Shi.
Innovation clusters thrive not only on regional collaboration but also on external connections through open innovation networks. GII 2026 points to stronger collaboration between Chinese innovation clusters both within and beyond their regions. For example, over the past five years, around 74 percent of multi-author articles from the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster were produced with organizations outside the cluster, with Beijing, Shanghai-Suzhou and Wuhan among the main collaborating locations. About 18 percent of PCT applications jointly filed by multiple inventors in the Beijing cluster involved inventors outside the cluster, with Tokyo-Yokohama, San Jose-San Francisco and Los Angeles among the main collaborating locations. These figures illustrate how Chinese innovation clusters are expanding their networks through interregional and international cooperation, facilitating the flow of knowledge, talent and technology.
From basic research to industrial application: How can innovation chain be connected?
As technological advances and industrial transformation accelerate worldwide, GII 2026 spotlights a special theme, "Powering entrepreneurs at the frontier of science," exploring deep science startups operating in fields such as advanced materials, energy science and genomics. According to GII 2026, China has 3,466 deep science startups this year, the second-largest number worldwide. China is showing the strongest acceleration among the top 20 economies in terms of deep science startup and spinout count, with a 138 percent increase between 2020 and 2025. This growth points to a dynamic frontier science ecosystem and greater potential to transform scientific breakthroughs into industrial applications.
Bridging the innovation chain, from the "first mile" of basic research to the "last mile" of industrial application, requires close collaboration among stakeholders. Universities, as key drivers of basic research and original innovation, play a pivotal role in bridging these stages. How can frontier innovation better address industrial needs and achieve market value? Chinese universities are exploring practical solutions through institutional innovation and university-industry collaboration. Shanghai Jiao Tong University, for example, has introduced mechanisms including diversified rights allocation, professional training for technology transfer personnel and the establishment of industry funds to promote the commercialization and utilization of IP. Soochow University, meanwhile, is developing joint university-industry innovation systems and proof-of-concept platforms to integrate enterprise needs into research and talent development.
When laboratory discoveries become drivers of industrial growth, IP helps turn frontier research into productive forces. Looking ahead, as innovation resources continue to converge globally, China is poised to build on its strengths and further strengthen its position on the global innovation map.