Innovators to watch 2023 [REPORT]

Our annual Innovators to watch report 2023   identifies organizations that demonstrate exceptional potential — the next wave of future pioneers at the forefront of innovation. These are also the companies and institutions on the cusp of entering the Top 100 Global Innovators™ list from Clarivate™.

Innovators to watch goes beyond measuring accomplishments. It identifies companies and institutions that demonstrate both exceptional potential and consistent, above-the-bar innovation excellence. These pioneers are poised to be recognized on the 2024 Top 100 Global Innovators list.

Assessing potential with three criteria

Identifying those companies and institutions on the cusp of entry involves a straightforward but powerful analysis that supplements the Top 100 Global Innovators methodology. To determine which organizations are making their way to the top, we ask three questions:

  • Are they within reaching distance of the Top 100 rankings? i.e., rank inside the Top 250 in 2023.
  • Are they moving quickly through the rankings? e., the organization’s average rise in ranking since 2017 is greater than its current gap to position 100.
  • Are they new in the sense of not being a previous recipient of the Top 100?

The answer has to be ‘yes’ to all of the above for an organization to make the watch list.

Observations at the forefront of innovation

The world is taking shape under the influence of today’s ingenuity. Those at the forefront of the innovation ecosystem are set to be the architects of the future.

Half of those who made the list this year were new entrants, not previously included in Innovators to watch in 2022. This reflects the dynamic landscape that these innovators are operating within.

We also see diversification. A number of automotive companies continue to expand as does their global representation. Mazda, from Japan, maintains its position from the previous year and four new entrants are present in the automotive sector (Aptiv, Faurecia, Toyo Tires and Vitesco). A similar trend is seen in the semiconductor industry, which added two U.S. companies, Cirrus Logic and ON Semiconductor, to the Innovators to watch list.

Many trends observed this year reflect those found in the Top 100 Global Innovators list and continue themes from last year’s Innovators to watch. Japan remains the largest country in terms of representation with even more Japanese organizations on this year’s list, spanning multiple industries, including energy and electrical, consumer goods and food and chemicals and materials.

Clarivate is pleased to recognize the Innovators to watch 2023 – the organizations showing the fastest rise to entering the Top 100 Global Innovators list.

See who made the list.