The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has released its Global Innovation Index (GII) for 2026, confirming that the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou metropolitan cluster in Southern China retains the top position among the world's 100 leading innovation clusters. This marks another year of supremacy for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), underscoring its role as a global engine for scientific advancement and technological entrepreneurship.
The annual GII ranking evaluates innovation activity using three core metrics: international patent filings through WIPO's Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), scientific publications, and the number of venture capital deals. For this year's assessment, the cluster recorded 2,259 PCT applications, 4,060 scientific articles, and 138 venture capital deals per 1 million inhabitants over the past five years. These figures reflect the region's robust innovation ecosystem and its ability to attract investment and produce cutting-edge research.
Welcoming the announcement, a spokesman for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government emphasized that the ranking reaffirms the outstanding innovative capacity and the innovation and technology (I&T)-supporting financing ecosystem of the GBA. “Expediting I&T development has been a policy priority of this Government,” the spokesman added, highlighting ongoing efforts such as the development of the original grant patent system and the introduction of the patent box regime, which provides tax concessions for intellectual property income to stimulate innovation.
The HKSAR Government's strategic investments are already yielding tangible results. The number of start-ups in Hong Kong has surged from over 1,500 in 2015 to more than 5,200 in 2025. The city's two I&T flagships—Hong Kong Science Park and Cyberport—have collectively nurtured about 20 unicorns to date. A landmark development in this trajectory is the official opening of the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone (the Loop Hong Kong Park) in December 2025. Over 100 technology enterprises and institutions have already signed leases and begun moving in. The Loop Hong Kong Park is poised to serve as a vital platform for basic scientific research, commercialisation, pilot production, and international I&T collaboration within the GBA.
Further bolstering the region's innovation infrastructure, the establishment of the San Tin Technopole Company Limited in June 2026 is set to develop 210 hectares of I&T land in the San Tin Technopole, located within Hong Kong's Northern Metropolis development. This initiative will create a crucial node for integrated upstream, midstream, and downstream industrial development, working in tandem with the Loop Hong Kong Park.
Hong Kong's financial machinery remains a cornerstone of its innovation success. The city boasts a vibrant private equity market with assets under management nearing US$250 billion, ranking second in Asia after the Chinese Mainland. This financial strength provides the necessary capital to fuel research and development, support startups, and drive commercialization.
Looking ahead, Hong Kong will proactively align its strategy with the National 15th Five-Year Plan to fortify its position as an international I&T centre. The city will also deepen collaboration with GBA sister cities, contributing to the nation's efforts in building a modern industrial system and achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and strength. The continued leadership of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster highlights the GBA's critical role in shaping the future of global innovation.
