WIPO Launches New Award for Cities of Innovation

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) today launched the “WIPO City of Innovation” award program, a new initiative that recognizes cities worldwide demonstrating exceptional commitment to fostering innovation and creativity among their residents.

As the world continues to urbanize, strategic planning at the city-level is essential for growth and prosperity. Successful cities will use IP to harness innovation and creativity, protect ideas and enable solutions to scale.  The new WIPO award program recognizes that, through bold vision, proper planning and well-designed policies, cities can create enabling environments for local innovation and creativity.

Today, more than half of humanity lives in cities, a figure projected to reach 70% by 2050. As urban populations surge, cities bring together people with different backgrounds, skills, experiences and aspirations, often sparking and stimulating new ideas. But true innovation demands ecosystems where intellectual property protects new ideas, empowers innovators and enables solutions to scale from concept to reality. This award recognizes cities that pledge to back innovation with systems that make it work.

The new program rewards pledges that city leaders make to advance innovation and creativity, over a 12-month period. Winning cities will gain global recognition and a platform to showcase their local innovators, creators and entrepreneurs to the world. WIPO will work with awarded cities to document their implementation and share their progress, enabling other cities to learn from their experiences and create a network connecting cities around the world.

An international jury of renowned experts will evaluate applications based on three criteria  ̶  vision alignment with city profile, ambition of pledges and credibility of pledges  ̶  as described in the application and selection procedure.

For the 2026 edition, the application process is open from April 1 to June 30, 2026.