According to the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2026, released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on September 8, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou metropolitan cluster has again secured the top position among the world's 100 leading innovation clusters. This achievement underscores the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area's (GBA) status as a global hub for scientific advancement and technological entrepreneurship.
The GII ranking evaluates innovation activity based on three core metrics: international patent filings via WIPO's Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), scientific publications, and venture capital deals. For this year's ranking, the cluster filed 2,259 PCT applications, published 4,060 scientific articles, and recorded 138 venture capital deals, all per 1 million inhabitants over the past five years. These figures highlight the region's robust innovative output and financing ecosystem.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government welcomed the announcement, stating that the ranking reaffirms the GBA's outstanding innovative capacity and the innovation and technology (I&T)-supporting financing ecosystem. A spokesman noted that expediting I&T development has been a policy priority, citing ongoing enhancements to the original grant patent system and the introduction of a patent box regime that offers tax concessions for intellectual property income.
Government investments have yielded 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. Hong Kong Science Park and Cyberport, the city's two I&T flagships, have collectively nurtured around 20 unicorns. A landmark development is the opening of the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone (Loop Hong Kong Park) in December 2025, where over 100 technology enterprises have already signed leases. This park serves as a platform for basic research, commercialization, pilot production, and international collaboration.
Additionally, the San Tin Technopole Company Limited, established in June 2026, will develop 210 hectares of I&T land in the San Tin Technopole, part of Hong Kong's Northern Metropolis, creating a vital node for integrated industrial development alongside the Loop Hong Kong Park.
Hong Kong's financial sector remains a cornerstone, with private equity assets under management nearing US$250 billion, ranking second in Asia. Looking ahead, Hong Kong will align with the National 15th Five-Year Plan to strengthen its position as an international I&T centre, deepen collaboration with GBA sister cities, and support the nation's goals of building a modern industrial system and achieving technological self-reliance.
