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Seven German cities and regions among the world's strongest innovation clusters

President of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office welcomes inclusion of venture capital transactions as a criterion in the World Intellectual Property Organisation study – Germany ranks third behind China and the USA in the top 100 – Munich is the third-best EU cluster – Berlin and Hamburg benefit most from the new criteria

Press release of 1 September 2025

Munich/Geneva. Seven German regions are among the world's top 100 innovation clusters, according to this year's Global Innovation Index published by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO): Munich, Berlin, Cologne, Stuttgart, Frankfurt am Main, Heidelberg-Mannheim and Hamburg. ‘Impulses for progress and prosperity come from numerous regions of our country. The fact that Germany is represented in the global top 100 with seven innovation clusters underlines this,’ said Eva Schewior, President of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office. ‘Venture capital plays an important role in turning creative ideas and technological progress into economic strength, for example for start-ups. I welcome the fact that WIPO has now included venture capital transactions in the criteria for the innovation cluster ranking.’

For the Global Innovation Index, WIPO assesses the innovative strength of 133 countries. It uses various criteria to identify regions that are particularly innovative. The 100 strongest innovation clusters worldwide from the Global Innovation Index were published in advance today, Monday, 1 September. They are spread across 33 economies.

In order to determine the local concentration of innovation activities, WIPO also used the number of venture capital transactions as a criterion for the first time. The location of companies receiving venture capital is recorded. This is intended in particular to show how knowledge from science and technology is ultimately translated into economic results.

Germany has seven regions in the top 100, making it the country with the third-highest number of clusters. However, China (24 clusters) and the USA (22 clusters) are clearly ahead at the top of the list. India and the United Kingdom each have four clusters in the top 100, while Canada, Japan and the Republic of Korea each have three clusters.

Berlin and Hamburg benefit most from the risk capital criterion

Munich is the highest-ranked German region at 27th place – and the third-best EU cluster after Paris and Amsterdam. However, Munich has lost ground compared to the previous ranking system. Berlin and Hamburg benefit most from the venture capital variable. Berlin ranks 30th, while Hamburg enters the top 100 for the first time at 91st place. Between them are Cologne (43rd place), Stuttgart (54th place), Frankfurt am Main (64th place) and Heidelberg-Mannheim (87th place).

The inclusion of venture capital transactions as a criterion has shaken up the international rankings. Due to the adjusted criteria, the rankings are not directly comparable with previous years. Under the new system, Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Guangzhou (China) has moved to the top of the rankings, overtaking Tokyo-Yokohama (Japan). San José-San Francisco (USA) has moved up to third place. Beijing (China) in fourth place is followed by Seoul (Republic of Korea), Shanghai–Suzhou (China) and New York City (United States).

The Global Innovation Index cluster ranking has been in existence since 2017. It shows the concentration of innovation activities based on three key indicators: international patent applications under the WIPO Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), scientific publications and – new this year – venture capital transactions.

The complete Global Innovation Index with country rankings and detailed analysis of individual countries will be published on Tuesday, 16 September.

The German Patent and Trade Mark Office

Inventiveness and creativity need effective protection. The DPMA is the German centre of expertise for all intellectual property rights – for patents, utility models, trade marks and designs. As the largest national patent office in Europe and the sixth largest national patent office in the world, it represents the future of Germany as a country of inventors in a globalised economy. Its approximately 2,800 employees at three locations – Munich, Jena and Berlin – provide services to inventors and companies. They implement the Federal Government's innovation strategies and further develop national, European and international protection systems.

Bild: iStock.com/metamorworks

Last updated: 1 September 2025