The Science and Technology (S&T) Cluster ranking of the Global Innovation Index identifies concentrations of leading science and technology activity. Australia has 3 listings in the global 100.
With a wealth of university and industry talent on display, it documents the geographical areas around the world with the highest density of inventors and scientific authors here.
Published by the World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO (an agency of the UN), this is a useful snapshot of where the world’s best minds (including students) congregate on our university campuses and is a testament to our extensive global partnerships.
The world’s five biggest S&T clusters are all located in East Asia. Tokyo-Yokohama (Japan) leads as the largest global S&T cluster, followed by Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou (China and Hong Kong, China), Seoul (Republic of Korea), followed by China’s Beijing and Shanghai-Suzhou clusters.
So, which Australian clusters make the top 100?
Melbourne
Australia’s number 1 cluster is the 42nd ranked science and technology cluster in the world (52nd by intensity, relative to population density).
Monash University ranked 1 (5% share) for patent filing and 2 for publications
University of Melbourne ranked 1 (24% share) for publications and 3 for patent filing
RMIT University ranked 3 for publications
- 29% of the Melbourne clusters Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) patent applications are filed in collaboration with other inventors, with Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Guangzhou, Sydney and Brisbane the top collaborative locations.
- 67% of the Melbourne clusters scientific articles are published in collaboration with other organizations, with the top three collaborating locations being Sydney, London and Brisbane.
- Top tech fields for patents were Pharma 12% and clinical medicine in publications 11%.
Sydney
Australia’s number 2 cluster is the 46th ranked science and technology cluster in the world (45th by intensity, relative to population density).
University of Sydney ranked 3 for patent filing and 1 (33% share) for publications
University of New South Wales ranked 2 for publications
Macquarie University ranked 3 publications
- 14% of Sydney’s PCT patent applications are filed in collaboration with other inventors, with San Jose–San Francisco, Melbourne and Brisbane as the top collaborative locations.
- 68% of Sydney’s scientific articles are published in collaboration with other organizations, with the top three collaborating locations being Melbourne, Brisbane and London.
- Top tech fields for patents were Med tech 17% and clinical medicine in publications 10%.
Brisbane
Australia’s number 3 cluster is the 100th ranked science and technology cluster in the world (57th by intensity, relative to population density).
University of Queensland ranked 1 (7% share) for patent filing and 1 (48% share) for publications
Griffith University ranked 3 for patent filing and 3 for publications
Queensland University of Technology ranked 2 for publications
- 18% of Brisbane’s PCT patent applications are filed in collaboration with other inventors, with Melbourne, San Jose–San Francisco and Sydney as the top collaborative locations.
- 68% of Brisbane’s scientific articles are published in collaboration with other organizations, with the top three collaborating locations being Melbourne, Sydney and Perth.
- Top tech fields for patents were civil engineering 10% and clinical medicine in publications 11%.
With the quality of patents evident through the translation into positive real-world impact, these results showcase the driving force behind Australia’s innovation success and the contribution of our universities to solving problems on the global stage.
In team Australia style, there is local collaboration that elevates our innovation to the global stage, with each of the 3 Australian clusters filing patents and collaborating for publication with the other 2 clusters.
Traditionally a space in which the Go8 dominates activity, Australia’s depth and breadth of innovation is on display across each cluster, with representation from the ATN and IRU.
Did you know? Monash University has a key program partnership in Suzhou, an industry park set within the Shanghai precinct ranked the 5th largest global cluster. Monash also share a partnership with IIT Bombay which sits in the Mumbai cluster, ranked 84th globally.
The full report is available here
Data nerds: For those wanting to interrogate detail, check out the S&T Cluster methodology
