France ranks 13th in the World Innovation Index 2026, published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (Ompi) on September 29. It thus confirmed its position of 2025, after having lost two places since 2023 (11th, then 12th in 2024). Paris is also ranked 11th among the world's innovation hubs.
A topical theme for the exploitation of research
The 2026 edition devotes a chapter to start-ups in basic science, i.e. science-based companies and companies derived from university research, which transform leading-edge research into new sectors of activity. Based on the new Dealroom Ompi tool, the first global mapping of this type of enterprise, Ompi notes that:
- More than 30,000 start-ups of basic science have been born since 2000, almost 10 times more than in 2010;
- they account for 16% of venture capital-financed start-ups in 2025, a record level;
- their cumulative value reaches 7,600 Md$, up 23% from 2024;
- The United States (12,752), China (3,466) and the United Kingdom (2,133) lead, while the fastest growth since 2020 is observed in Central and South Asia, Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa.
A transition to a still delicate scale
Ompi points out that these young companies encounter obstacles at key stages: from research to concept validation, then from the pilot phase to commercial deployment, where fundraising in Series B and C is scarce. The financial context accentuates this difficulty: venture capital grew by 28% in 2025 (510 Md$It focuses heavily on artificial intelligence (53% of the total value in 2025, 77% in the first half of 2026), while the number of operations declines for the fourth consecutive year.
What this means for transfer actors
These findings recall the importance of accompanying research projects, particularly at the stages of maturation and preparation for funding, at the heart of the missions of transfer structures such as the PUI CY Transfer.
Sources
- AEF info, « World Innovation Index 2026: France remains 13th in the world (Ompi) », Michèle Bargiel, 29 September 2026 (aefinfo.fr): https://www.aefinfo.fr/
- Ompi, Global Innovation Index 2026 and press release of 29 September 2026: https://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2026/article 0013.html
- Ompi, ranking of innovation poles, early publication of 8 September 2026. : https://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2026/article 0014.html
