Clarivate has released its list of the top 100 global organisations that are leading the way in innovation. These organisations, Clarivate says, account for a “disproportionate share of the world’s most valuable ideas,” responsible for 16% of the world’s most impactful AI inventions.
However, Clarivate adds that as well as AI, R&D is being driven by sustainability, wellbeing, mobility and connectivity agendas worldwide.
“These priorities coexist with AI, often intersecting in complex ways, from energy-efficient computing to health-tech platforms, underscoring that innovation leadership today demands multidimensional strategies,” the report said.
The Clarivate list Top 100 Global Innovators 2026 puts Japan at the top of the rankings, with 32 organisations from the country on the list, and five of the top ten companies on the list based there.
Canon is the top Japanese company, ranked number three, while Japan-based chemicals and materials company Nitto Denko comes in at number 50. The number one company on the list is South Korea’s Samsung Electronics. After Japan, the US with 18 companies and Taiwan with 12 companies take the second and third place.
The top chemicals and materials company on the list is South Korea’s LG Chem, which is ranked number seven. This is followed by US company Dow which is placed at number 38. Germany’s BASF enters the list at 62, followed by Japan’s Shin-Etsu Chemical at 66, Sumitomo Chemical at number 82, and Germany’s Evonik at 90.
Countries or regions showing growth in the number of organisations listed include mainland China, and the Netherlands, while Ireland and Saudi Arabia return to the list this year. The Top 100 Global Innovators analysis is based on the Clarivate Center for IP and Innovation Research. The analysis leverages the proprietary Derwent Strength Index, which evaluates more than 67 million inventions globally. This index assesses each invention across four dimensions these being: influence, investment, success, and rarity. These factors are combined and assessed into a median Derwent Invention Strength.
Clarivate says that its list reveals that AI is at the forefront of leadership in innovation. “AI is no longer a side story; it has become part of the fabric of innovation,” the report said.
It found that AI-related patent activity has surged dramatically in recent years, with filings doubling repeatedly since 2019 and more than one million invention specifications published by mid-2025. “Generative AI and deep learning have grown at an extraordinary pace, making them the fastest-moving frontiers in technology,” the report says.
“AI doesn’t rewrite the rules; it recalibrates them. The center of gravity is shifting from physical production to scalable intelligence. Data behaves less like a raw ingredient and more like a resource whose value multiplies through use,” it said.
The report also highlights growing collaboration between countries noting: “The geopolitical stakes are high, yet innovation often defies borders, nearly 10% of AI inventions from the United States-based organisations include inventors in Mainland China. The reverse is rare; only 1% of Chinese inventions include United States-based inventors.”
As geopolitical tensions rise, the ability to connect talent, share knowledge and co-develop technologies becomes not just a competitive advantage, but a strategic necessity, the report adds.
Further reading:
Innovation is key to growth. So why is it getting harder to do?
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