Hangzhou has once again cemented its status as a global innovation frontrunner, ranking 13th worldwide in the latest 2026 Global Innovation Index (GII) top 100 science and technology innovation clusters released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). This marks the second consecutive year the city has secured its position within the global top 13 tier, according to information released by the Hangzhou Municipal Market Supervision Administration on September 9.
Based on the WIPO cluster brief for Hangzhou outlined in the 2026 GII, the city's core indicators have maintained steady growth over the past five years. It recorded 11,309 PCT patent applications, 92,828 scientific publications, and 3,047 venture capital deals. With an estimated cluster population of 7,166,556, the per capita figures translate to 1,578 PCT applications, 12,954 scientific publications, and 425 venture capital transactions per million people, respectively.
Where does this sustained top-tier global ranking come from? The answer lies in Hangzhou's strategic commitment to embedding intellectual property deep into its urban development framework, using IP to empower the innovation ecosystem and forge a robust competitive edge for high-quality growth. By July this year, the city had amassed 238,000 valid invention patents, maintaining its position as the leading provincial capital in China for 18 straight years. Moreover, the number of high-value invention patents per 10,000 people reached 69.56, which is 4.35 times the national average.
Why is Hangzhou's scientific and technological strength so consistently prominent? The city's innovation credentials continue to shine. After Unitree Robotics secured a WIPO Global Award, Puliu Technology earned the same honor once again, making Hangzhou the only city in China to produce winners of this prestigious award for two consecutive years. At the 26th China Patent Awards, Hangzhou collected a record-breaking five gold medals, underscoring its remarkable achievements in high-quality IP development.
As one of the first national pilot cities for optimizing the business environment in the IP sector, Hangzhou has focused on the needs of market players by rolling out a host of targeted and specialized IP service measures. This approach enhances its governmental brand of being responsive to needs without unnecessary interference. By assigning dedicated service specialists and implementing customized strategies for individual enterprises, the city has streamlined the full pipeline from patent portfolio development and pre-examination to resource matching for tech start-ups.
In addressing the persistent challenge of focusing too much on patent creation while neglecting their commercial application, Hangzhou has introduced an action plan dedicated to the transformation and utilization of patents. Leveraging a large model housed in local universities designed for precise patent commercialization matching, the city has revitalized existing scientific and technological resources. To date, it has reviewed more than 75,000 existing patents, released 3,500 patents with a double five-star rating, and achieved 26,000 patent licensing transactions in 2025.
Additionally, Hangzhou has launched the province's first "patent industrialization plus subscription rights" conversion project to establish market-oriented pathways for IP rights commercialization. The city is also aggressively expanding the scale of IP pledge financing. In 2025, the total pledged financing volume reached 59.9 billion yuan, with the number of enterprises served ranking first nationwide.
Simultaneously, Hangzhou insists on protecting innovation with the strictest IP safeguards. It has introduced local regulations like the Hangzhou IP Protection and Promotion Regulations alongside multiple specialized legal guidelines to fortify its institutional IP protections. Regular special enforcement operations, dubbed "Thunder" and "Sword Net," are conducted to maintain order. In 2025, the municipal market supervision system handled 2,325 administrative patent dispute cases and 435 administrative IP penalty cases, with six cases being selected as national or provincial model examples.
Moving forward, Hangzhou plans to continue optimizing its IP business environment and deepening reforms in comprehensive IP management. By fully unleashing the enabling effects of the IP system and strengthening collaboration across industry, academia, research, and application, the city aims to unblock the dual domestic and international circulation channels for IP elements. Through these efforts, Hangzhou is poised to bolster its global innovation cluster competitiveness and build itself into a high-energy city of vibrant innovation.