The Institute of Science and Technology Innovation recently released the National Top 100 Science and Technology Innovation Index Report 2026. Based on patent and innovation data from 178 countries and regions worldwide, the report provides a comprehensive assessment of the innovation capabilities of enterprises, universities, and research institutions across three dimensions: innovation capacity, innovation value, and innovation impact.

Among the top 500 enterprises, 258 are state-owned or state-controlled (51.6%), while 242 are privately owned (48.4%). The industrial composition is dominated by computer communications and electrical machinery manufacturing, which together account for over 23% of the total. Within the private enterprise segment, 131 are recognized as manufacturing national champions. Innovation resources continue to concentrate in strategic emerging sectors, including integrated circuits, artificial intelligence, new energy, advanced materials, and quantum technology.

In terms of intellectual property, the cultivation of high-value patents and the expansion of international patent portfolios stand out as notable trends. Over the past three years, the top 500 enterprises have filed more than 340,000 invention patents annually, with an authorization rate approaching 60%. Their cumulative PCT international patent applications have surpassed 78,000, representing 52.1% of all PCT applications filed by enterprises nationwide. Leading innovators such as Huawei, CATL, TikTok, and BOE have each filed over 3,000 patents, and their sustained efforts in overseas patent deployment have steadily strengthened their international competitiveness.

The top 100 universities filed and were granted nearly 1 million patents over the past three years, accounting for 57.3% of the national total for higher education institutions. Similarly, the top 100 research institutions hold 47.0% of all patents filed and granted by research organizations nationwide. Their PCT applications make up 65.6% and 80.2% of the respective totals for universities and research institutions, positioning them as key pillars supporting the internationalization of China’s scientific and technological achievements.

Among the top 100 innovative universities, Zhejiang University, Tsinghua University, and Harbin Institute of Technology secured the top three spots. In the Top 100 research institution ranking, the top three are China Electric Power Research Institute, Xi’an Thermal Power Research Institute, and Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (Chinese Academy of Sciences).