Egypt has achieved a significant milestone by securing the 95th rank in the top 100 science and technology clusters in the 2024 Global Innovation Index. This recognition makes Cairo the sole North African city to feature on the list, according to the latest report by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
The report highlights that from 2019 to 2023, Cairo filed 166 patent applications with WIPO under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, with 18% of these related to medical technologies. Additionally, 18% of the patents were co-authored with inventors from major hubs like Boston, Cambridge, and Montreal. Furthermore, Cairo published nearly 23,000 scientific articles between 2018 and 2022, with 22% of these focused on the field of chemistry.
Hesham Azmy, Chairman of the Egyptian Intellectual Property Authority, credited this achievement to Egypt’s persistent efforts in fostering innovation and technology. He emphasized the effective coordination between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Egyptian expatriates, the Permanent Mission in Geneva, and WIPO.
The “Science and Technology Clusters” index, part of WIPO’s annual Global Innovation Index, evaluates patent activity, scientific publications, and the concentration of inventors worldwide. The collaboration between Egypt and WIPO has notably strengthened, particularly following WIPO Director General Daren Tang’s visit to Cairo in September 2022 for the launch of the National Intellectual Property Strategy.