WIPO launches new “Innovation Hotspots” studies during Singapore’s IP Week@SG 2022

September 7, 2022

WIPO launched three new economic studies delving into the history and development of a trio of “innovation hotspots,” or locales with a high concentration of patent applications and scientific articles, during Singapore’s IP Week@SG 2022.

The event co-organized by WIPO and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) on “Innovation Hotspots: Local Capabilities and Global Networks” presented the lessons learned during the production of the studies of the three innovation hotspots: São Paulo (Brazil), Shenzhen (China), and Singapore (Singapore).

Speaking at the event, WIPO Director General Daren Tang said the research series would help inform policymaking related to the stimulation of innovation.

“What makes certain innovation ecosystems more attractive than others? How can different regions use innovation to scale and grow? What is the secret sauce behind some of the world’s fastest growing innovation ecosystems? What steps need to be taken to sustain innovation success?” asked Mr. Tang.

“The aim of these three studies is to provide answers to these questions, whilst shining a light on the role of innovation and IP in the global economy and providing a series of insights for evidence-based policymaking.”

Prof. Muhammed Yildirim, Research Director of Harvard’s Growth Lab, emphasized the need for new indicators based on big data techniques – such as economic complexity – to help policymakers assess their region’s competitiveness and innovativeness.

The event focused on the in-depth study of Singapore’s innovation ecosystem. Prof. Poh Kam Wong, National University of Singapore, identified Singapore’s openness as a key strategic advantage, enabling it to benefit from global innovation that is increasingly international.

Mrs. Rena Lee, Chief Executive of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) highlighted, “WIPO’s study on global innovation hotspots underscores the increasingly collaborative nature of innovation globally. The work done by Professor Wong in his Singapore study showed that, today, close to half of US patents invented by Singapore residents involved international collaboration. This is up from one-third two decades ago. The Singapore study shows the increasing relevance of Singapore as an international node for innovation.”

The results of the international research on what makes certain regions more innovative were complemented in a roundtable discussion with policy insights and discussion by representatives from various sectors in the Singaporean innovation ecosystem.

WIPO published these three studies as part of its development studies series.