Cambridge has once again been named as the most intensive science and technological cluster in the world, according to a new report ranking innovation around the globe.
Cambridge has once again been named as the most intensive science and technological cluster in the world, according to a new report ranking innovation around the globe.
It’s great to see this continued recognition of Cambridge as the world’s most intensive science and technological cluster. With its exceptional research and science, people and partners, companies and commitment, Cambridge drives innovation that fuels local, national, and global growth, tackling global challenges and delivering life-changing impact.
Diarmuid O’Brien
The Global Innovation Index (GII) 2024 – which captures the innovation ecosystem performance of 133 economies and tracks the global innovation trends – has ranked Cambridge as the world’s leading science and technological (S&T) cluster by intensity, in relation to its size, for the third consecutive year. San Jose, San Franciso (USA) was named second, unchanged from the 2023 Index, with Eindhoven, (Kingdom of the Netherlands) third.
S&T clusters are established by analysing patent-filing activity and scientific article publication relative to population, and documenting the geographical areas around the world with the highest density of inventors and scientific authors.
According to the Index, the Cambridge cluster filed 6,379 Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) patent applications and published 35,000 scientific articles, both per 1 million inhabitants, over the past 5 years.
The University of Cambridge sits at the heart of this cluster, powering world-leading research, driving a vibrant innovation ecosystem, and cultivating a thriving environment for collaboration, services and investment. The University contributes nearly £30 billion to the UK economy annually, including over £23 billion from commercialisation and innovation activities.
According to the Global Innovation Index 2024: “S&T clusters – which can be entire regions or cities – serve as the backbone of a robust national innovation ecosystem. Situated in areas such as San Francisco’s Silicon Valley, Cambridge, Munich and Paris in Europe, or Bengaluru, Seoul, Shenzhen and Tokyo in Asia, these S&T clusters are home to renowned universities, brilliant scientists, R&D-intensive companies, and prolific inventors. It is the collaboration among these entities that results in the groundbreaking scientific advancements.”
Earlier this year, a report by Dealroom revealed that the Cambridge tech ecosystem has a combined value of $191 billion, representing 18% of the entire UK’s tech ecosystem and reinforcing Cambridge’s reputation as Europe’s deep tech leader.
Dr Diarmuid O’Brien, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Innovation, University of Cambridge, commented:
“It’s great to see this continued recognition of Cambridge as the world’s most intensive science and technological cluster. With its exceptional research and science, people and partners, companies and commitment, Cambridge drives innovation that fuels local, national, and global growth, tackling global challenges and delivering life-changing impact.”
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