Top 100 most innovative companies shift focus from quantity to quality

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Clarivate Analytics, formerly the Intellectual Property & Science business of Thomson Reuters, today announced its highly anticipated list of 2016 Top 100 Global Innovators. The report honors the most innovative corporations and institutions in the world as determined by the robust analysis of unique and proprietary data. The company also unveiled its new brand identity following the sale of the business to Onex Corporation and Baring Private Equity Asia in October 2016. 

Now in its sixth year, the 2016 Top 100 Global Innovators report reveals a prominent shift in strategy among the world's top innovators. Notably, the volume of patents filed has decreased while grant rates have increased. That trend, combined with a significant commitment to R&D spending, showcases an increased commitment to quality over quantity for commercializing new inventions. Together, the firms on the list generated more than $4 trillion revenue in 2015 and spent more than $227 billion on research and development. On average, the 2016 Top 100 Global Innovators invest 9.1 percent more in R&D than those in the S&P 100, underlining the importance they place on innovation.

This year's study also revealed wider diversification within the patent portfolios of the top innovators. Canon, General Electric and Hitachi are investing significantly in medical devices, while Google is developing a self-driving car and Amazon is actively involved in drone technology. The data in this year's report show the path to innovation is no longer a straight line.

"Today marks a milestone for Clarivate Analytics as we journey towards the future with the publication of our Top 100 Global Innovators report under our new brand identity," said Jay Nadler, CEO. "We believe the power of innovation is a fundamental driver of economic well-being, competitive advantage and success, which represents the heart of our business – to accelerate the pace of innovation. Using insights from the Web of Science, Derwent and Cortellis, our Top 100 Global Innovators methodology is purely data-based and eliminates any ambiguity as to what makes an organization innovative. So, we congratulate those who have made meaningful gains to usher in the next era of global innovation."

The Clarivate Analytics 2016 Top 100 Global Innovators methodology is the only objective analysis of patent volume, patent-grant success rates, global reach and invention influence to identify without bias the world's most innovative organizations.

The Clarivate Analytics 2016 Top 100 Global Innovators are:

For more information on the 2016 Clarivate Analytics Top 100 Global Innovators program and to download the report, visit: http://top100innovators.stateofinnovation.com/.

For a visual glance of this year's Top 100 Global Innovators visit: http://top100innovators.stateofinnovation.com/content/top-100-global-innovators-infographic.

Clarivate Analytics

Clarivate^™ Analytics accelerates the pace of innovation by providing trusted insights and analytics to customers around the world, enabling them to discover, protect and commercialize new ideas faster. Formerly the Intellectual Property and Science business of Thomson Reuters, we own and operate a collection of leading subscription-based businesses focused on scientific and academic research, patent analytics and regulatory standards, pharmaceutical and biotech intelligence, trademark protection, domain brand protection and intellectual property management. Clarivate^™ Analytics is now an independent company with over 4,000 employees, operating in more than 100 countries and owns well‐known brands that include Web of Science™, Cortellis™, Thomson Innovation™, Derwent World Patents Index™, CompuMark™, MarkMonitor^® and Techstreet™, among others. For more information, please visit Clarivate.com.

SOURCE Clarivate Analytics