WIPO Launches City of Innovation Award

WIPO Press Room

Published March 25th, 2026

Detected March 25th, 2026

Summary

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has launched the "WIPO City of Innovation" award program to recognize cities committed to fostering innovation and creativity. The award program rewards pledges made by city leaders over a 12-month period, with applications for the 2026 edition open from April 1 to June 30, 2026.

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What changed

WIPO has introduced a new award program, the "WIPO City of Innovation" award, to acknowledge and celebrate cities globally that demonstrate a strong commitment to nurturing innovation and creativity among their populations. This initiative aims to highlight the importance of intellectual property in urban development and to recognize cities that implement policies and plans to create an enabling environment for local innovators and creators.

Cities interested in applying for the 2026 award must submit their applications between April 1 and June 30, 2026. Winning cities will receive global recognition and a platform to showcase their innovators, with WIPO assisting in documenting and sharing their progress. The selection process will be based on criteria including vision alignment, ambition, and credibility of pledges made by city leaders.

What to do next

Review application and selection procedure for the WIPO City of Innovation award
Submit applications between April 1 and June 30, 2026 if applicable

Source document (simplified)

WIPO Launches New Award for Cities of Innovation

Geneva,

March 25, 2026
PR/2026/950

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.

WIPO Director General Daren Tang
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.

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About WIPO

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the United Nations agency that serves the world’s innovators and creators, ensuring that their ideas travel safely to the market and improve lives everywhere.

We do so by providing services that enable creators, innovators and entrepreneurs to protect and promote their intellectual property (IP) across borders and acting as a forum for addressing cutting-edge IP issues. Our IP data and information guide decisionmakers the world over. And our impact-driven projects and technical assistance ensure IP benefits everyone, everywhere.

For more information, please contact the News and Media Division at WIPO:
- Tel: (+41 22) 338 81 61 / 338 72 24
- E-mail