Source: Clarivate Analytics infographic.

Clarivate Analytics, previously known as the Intellectual Property & Science division of Thomson Reuters, has announced its 2016 Top 100 Global Innovators. Utilizing unique proprietary data analysis, the report recognizes the world’s most innovative companies and institutions.

Now in its sixth year, the 2016 Top 100 Global Innovators report highlights a significant change in approach among leading global innovators, according to Clarivate Analytics. The report shows a decline in patent filings coupled with an increase in grant rates. This pattern, alongside substantial investment in research and development (R&D), demonstrates a growing emphasis on quality over quantity in bringing new inventions to market. The listed companies collectively generated over US$4 trillion in revenue in 2015 and dedicated over US$227 billion to R&D. The 2016 Top 100 Global Innovators invest an average of 9.1% more in R&D compared to those in the S&P 100, underscoring their commitment to innovation.

This year’s research also found that the route to innovation is not linear, with various top innovators focusing on different technologies. For example, Canon, General Electric, and Hitachi are investing in medical devices, while Google is developing self-driving cars, and Amazon is actively involved in drone technology.

The Clarivate Analytics 2016 Top 100 Global Innovators methodology is distinctive in its objective evaluation of patent volume, success rates in obtaining patents, global reach, and influence of inventions. It impartially identifies the world’s most innovative organizations.

Jay Nadler, CEO of Clarivate Analytics, stated: “We believe the power of innovation is a fundamental driver of economic well-being, competitive advantage and success, which represents the heart of our business – to accelerate the pace of innovation. Using insights from the Web of Science, Derwent and Cortellis*, our Top 100 Global Innovators methodology is purely data-based and eliminates any ambiguity as to what makes an organisation innovative. So, we congratulate those who have made meaningful gains to usher in the next era of global innovation.”

The Clarivate Analytics 2016 Top 100 Global Innovators are:

3M Company
Abbott Laboratories
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)
Air Products
Aisin Seiki
Alstom
Amazon
Analog Devices
Apple
Arkema - a chemicals and advanced materials company
BASF
Bayer
Becton Dickinson (BD) - a medical technology company
Boeing
Boston Scientific
Bridgestone
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Broadcom 
Canon
CEA - France’s Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission
Chevron
CNRS, the French National Center for Scientific Research
Corning
Daikin Industries - a specialist in air conditioning and refrigeration
Delphi Automotive
Dolby Laboratories
Dow Chemical Company
DuPont
Emerson Electric
Ericsson
Exxon Mobil
Fraunhofer - a German research organisation
Fujifilm
Fujitsu
General Electric
Google (now Alphabet)
Hitachi
Honda Motor
Honeywell International
Huawei
IFP Energies Nouvelles - research and innovation, training and information for sustainable development in the fields of energy, transport and environment
Intel
InterDigital - Produces, markets, sells and licenses wireless digital radio-telephone systems for voice and data communications
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson Controls
JTEKT - an automotive components provider
Kawasaki Heavy Industries - a manufacturer of a wide range of systems, from motorcycles to ships
Kobe Steel
Komatsu - a mining and construction equipment manufacturer
Kyocera
LG Electronics
Lockheed Martin
LSIS, a smart energy provider
Makita Corporation - an industrial power tools manufacturer
Marvell
MediaTek
Medtronic, the medical technology specialist
Merck
Microsoft
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which provides engineering, electrical and electronics solutions
NEC
Nike
Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal
Nissan Motor
Nitto Denko - a maker of tapes, vinyls, LCDs, and insulationNokia
Novartis
NTT
NXP Semiconductors
Olympus
Omron
Oracle
Panasonic
Philips
Qualcomm
Renesas Electronics
Roche
Safran - a supplier of systems and equipment for aerospace, defense and security
Saint-Gobain - a maker of high-performance materials for home and industrial use
Samsung Electronics
Seagate
Seiko Epson
Shin-Etsu Chemical
Showa Denko - a manufacturer of advanced materials for various industries 
Sony
Sumitomo Electric - a cable and wire supplier
Symantec
TE Connectivity
Thales
Toshiba
Total S.A.
Toyota Motor
University of California
Valeo - focused on automotive spare parts
Xerox
Xilinx
Yamaha
Yaskawa Electric
Yazaki

Interested?
Read the Clarivate Analytics 2016 Top 100 Global Innovators report
View the complete infographic

*The Web of Science, Derwent and Cortellis are all Clarivate Analytics products. Web of Science is a scientific citation indexing service, Derwent deals with patent information and Cortellis offers pharmaceutical intelligence.