On 12 October local time, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) presented its first “Innovation Cities” awards in Geneva, Switzerland. Shanghai of China, Charleroi of Belgium and Liverpool of the United Kingdom became the first cohort of winning cities.

It is reported that WIPO’s “Innovation Cities” award was established for the first time in 2026. Cities within the territories of 194 member states may organise applications. The award aims to recognise cities that intend to take practical institutional measures to support innovation. WIPO formed an international jury of renowned experts to evaluate applications submitted by candidate cities.

In recent years, Shanghai has consistently adhered to innovation-led development, taking intellectual property as a core engine for stimulating innovation momentum and unleashing creative potential, and vigorously advancing construction as an international sci-tech innovation centre and an international IP centre city, with notable results. Data show that in 2025 Shanghai’s regional GDP reached RMB 5.67 trillion, placing its economic aggregate among the world’s Top five cities. Among others, the combined scale of the three leading industries of integrated circuits, biomedicine and artificial intelligence exceeded RMB 2 trillion; expenditure on R&D in society as a whole accounted for 4.5% of regional GDP. As of August this year, Shanghai had 344,000 valid invention patents, and high-value invention patents per 10,000 population reached 67.6. On WIPO’s 2026 ranking of the world’s Top 100 innovation clusters, the Shanghai–Suzhou innovation cluster ranked 6th.

As a winning city, Shanghai’s future vision is to foster a broader culture of innovation and creativity and consolidate its position as an international hub for science, technology and IP. Concrete measures include expanding IP education and services, opening innovation infrastructure and data, supporting cultural and creative industries, and strengthening links among research, industry, entrepreneurs and investors. Shanghai’s successful award fully demonstrates the rich fruits of China’s urban innovation development; Shanghai’s useful experience and future vision have won high recognition from the international community and provide useful reference for innovative development of many cities worldwide.

Source：China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA)；2026-10-14；http://www.cnipa.gov.cn/art/2026/10/14/art_53_208513.html