(Yicai) Dec. 6 -- Policy formulation is essential to promote progress among science and technology clusters, according to the chief economist of the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Policies play a crucial role in promoting connections between different sci-tech innovation clusters, including facilitating knowledge flow from universities to research institutions, which enables promising inventions to be developed and commercialized better, Carsten Fink said at the 21st Shanghai International Intellectual Property Forum on Dec. 4.

The WIPO attaches great importance to the top 100 sci-tech clusters list of the Global Innovation Index, which is an indicator of a region’s ability to develop an innovative economy, Fink noted. When it comes to sci-tech clusters, it is essential to invest in human resources, conduct technological research and development, and promote innovation to create a solid ecology.

The WIPO released the 2024 GII in late August. China boasted 26 science and technology clusters in the top 100, ranking first ahead of the United States with 20 and Germany with eight. Seven of the top 10 clusters are in Asia, and the remaining three are in the US.

The Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster kept its second position behind Tokyo-Yokohama, while Beijing reclaimed the third spot from Seoul. Shanghai-Suzhou rounds out the top five, mainly thanks to strong growth in Patent Cooperation Treaty filings. Nanjing climbed two spots to enter the top 10, displacing San Diego.

The Shenzhen-Hong-Kong-Guangzhou cluster stood out in computer technology, with about half of its PCT applications falling under this category, Fink said. The main reason for this is the concentration of large computer technology and digital communication companies, such as Huawei Technologies, Oppo Mobile Telecommunications, and ZTE, he added.

The Beijing cluster had almost the same number of PCT filings as the Shenzhen-Hong-Kong-Guangzhou cluster despite ranking two spots below, with most concentrated in the digital communications field, Fink noted. An important feature of the Beijing cluster was the high amount of scientific papers published, he pointed out.

Compared to the other top five, the Shanghai-Suzhou cluster is characterized by a higher degree of technological diversity, according to Fink. It has strong manufacturing capabilities, has published many scientific papers, and has attractive PCT applications.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Futura Costaglione