The World's Leading Innovators

COUNTRIES PIONEERS 4. Sweeden The companies in the top 100 hail from just nine countries. With names like Apple and Boeing, the United States claims the largest number of spots on the list. T. 6% 2. Key Japan OF THE MILLENNIAL WORLD 23 Country 27% 5.1 Germany Rank Percent of each country on the list THE MOST INNOVATIVE COUNTRIES AND INDUSTRIES 7.1 South Korea 6. Netherlands 1. U.S.A. 3% In today's sluggish economy, the pressure to invent new products and file as many patent applications as possible is greater than ever-both for individual companies and for entire countries, which reap benefits from their citizens' business success. But what does it mean for a nation to 3% 40% be innovative? Thomson Reuters set out to answer this question and rank companies and countries on its list of the Top 100 Global Innovators. Take a look to see who's leading the way. 9. Liechtenstein 1% METHODOLOGY: France More Than Just Patent Count WHERE'S CHINA? 11% People often mistakenly assume innovation is measured solely by the number of patent applications filed by a given company or country. Thomson Reuters expanded the scope by considering four primary criteria: Although China is an active patent generator, it is noticeably absent from the list. Bob Stembridge, an intellectual property analyst for Thomson Reuters, says that because Chinese patents "[focus] on the domestic market first," they fall short on peer recognition and global reach factors. Switzerland INDUSTRIES SUCCESS The ratio of patent applications to patent grants over the course of the past three years 3% Semiconductor and electronic manufacturing produce the most innovative inventions of any industry. Percent of the industries on the list GLOBAL REACH The percentage of the patent portfolio recognized and protected by the major patent authorities in the United States, China, Europe, and Japan Computer hardware manufacturing Machinery manufacturing Electrical products Semiconductor and electronic component manufacturing Transportation equipment Health care products Scientific research Petroleum L. :: (3 INFLUENCE -14* 9% 0% 15* The long-term impact of inventions, as measured by how often the patent is cited within the industry Consumer product manufacturing Computer software manufacturing Chemical Telecommunication Industrial Aerospace Automotive Pharmaceuticals manufacturing equipment manufacturing VOLUME The number of new techniques or inventions created-excluding patents that refine existing inventions 13% 7' 4" 3* 2" 19%6 9% 0% SOURCES: THOMSON REUTERS. "TOP 100 GLOBAL INNOVATORS: HONORING THE WORLD LEADERS OF INNOVATION." 2011, NYTIMES.COM, TECHCRUNCH.COM, ECONOMIST.COM --- A COLLABORATION BETWEEN GOOD AND COLUMN FIVE --------- --------