Shanghai Wins WIPO's Inaugural "City of Innovation" Award

On October 12 local time, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) announced the winners of its inaugural "City of Innovation" award in Geneva, Switzerland. Shanghai (China), Charleroi (Belgium) and Liverpool (United Kingdom) were named the first winners.

Launched for the first time in 2026 by WIPO, this award is open to cities across all 194 WIPO Member States. Its aim is to acknowledge the efforts of cities striving to ignite change designed to drive innovation. An independent international jury of distinguished experts appointed by WIPO assessed the applicants' pledges.

In recent years, Shanghai has consistently placed innovation at the heart of its development, leveraging intellectual property (IP) as a key driver of innovation and creativity. The city has made significant progress in strengthening its position as an international science and technology innovation center and an international intellectual property center. In 2025, Shanghai's gross domestic product (GDP) reached 5.67 trillion yuan, placing it among the world's five largest urban economies. Its three leading industries — integrated circuits, biomedicine and artificial intelligence — exceeded 2 trillion yuan in combined scale, while research and development (R&D) expenditure accounted for 4.5% of the city's GDP. As of August 2026, Shanghai had 344,000 valid invention patents, with 67.6 high-value invention patents per 10,000 residents. The Shanghai-Suzhou cluster ranked sixth globally among the 2026 world's top 100 innovation clusters according to WIPO.

As one of the award winners, Shanghai aims to foster a broader culture of innovation and creativity while consolidating its position as an international hub for science, technology and IP. Its planned initiatives include expanding IP education and services, opening up innovation infrastructure and data, supporting cultural and creative industries, and strengthening connections among researchers, industry, entrepreneurs and investors. Shanghai's recognition reflects the progress Chinese cities have made in advancing innovation. The city's experience and vision have earned international recognition, offering valuable insights for global cities seeking to foster innovation.(Sourced from CNIPA Website)