seven German regions among the best

Munich/Geneva (dpa/d.de) – Germany continues to be regarded as a particularly inventive country: in this year’s ranking, Germany has seven cities –

 or metropolitan areas – in the world’s 100 most innovative regions, putting it in third place behind China and the USA. The results were published by the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) in Munich. 

WIPO bases the ranking on three criteria: international patent applications, scientific publications and venture capital deals – investments in innovative start-ups. China tops the ranking, ahead of the USA. 

According to the index, China alone is home to a quarter of the world’s 100 most innovative regions. The USA has 20, followed by the much smaller Germany with seven: Munich, Berlin, Cologne, Stuttgart, Frankfurt am Main, Heidelberg/Mannheim and Hamburg. 

“The fact that Germany has more innovation clusters in the top 100 than any country apart from China and the USA is a remarkable achievement,” said German Patent and Trade Mark Office President Eva Schewior. “It shows that many regions of our country are home to highly innovative companies and outstanding research institutions.”