Liverpool City Region has been named one of the world’s first recipients of the prestigious City of Innovation award from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a United Nations agency, recognising the city region’s global leadership in innovation, collaboration and economic growth.
Liverpool City Region has been named one of the world’s first recipients of the prestigious City of Innovation award from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a United Nations agency, recognising the city region’s global leadership in innovation, collaboration and economic growth.
Selected from a shortlist of 15 international finalists, Liverpool City Region was recognised for its bold vision of “innovating for tomorrow” and its commitment to unlocking the growth potential of businesses, communities and emerging technologies. The award places the city region alongside leading international innovation destinations and further enhances its profile among investors, innovators and businesses worldwide.
The recognition reflects Liverpool City Region’s world-class innovation ecosystem, which brings together industry, academia and government to drive research, commercialisation and high-value job creation. Building on internationally recognised assets including Knowledge Quarter Liverpool and Sci-Tech Daresbury, the city region continues to strengthen its reputation as a location where businesses can innovate, grow and scale.
The award follows Liverpool City Region’s recognition as runner-up in the European Capital of Innovation Awards and reinforces its position at the forefront of place-based innovation in the UK..
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:
“I’ve long said that we’re the UK’s innovation capital, and now we’ve got a global award to back it up.
“This award genuinely puts us on the world stage. It recognises what many of us have known for a long time: there’s something special happening here, with world-class science, brilliant businesses and people who aren’t afraid to do things differently.
“But we’re not doing all this so we can pick up a trophy and put it on a shelf. It’s about what innovation can do for the lives of ordinary people, creating good, high-value jobs, bringing investment into our communities and finding solutions to some of the biggest challenges we face.
“We’ve got the talent in spades, and we’ve got the ideas and ambition to go even further. This award gives us a fantastic platform to build on that, and we’re determined to make the most of it.”
Liverpool City Region’s commitment to innovation has also been recognised internationally through its designation as the world’s first “Accelerator City” for climate action under the United Nations Climate Change programme.
The award was presented at WIPO’s headquarters in Geneva and provides Liverpool City Region with enhanced global recognition, helping to strengthen international partnerships and support future investment opportunities.
Alongside the announcement, WIPO and the University of Liverpool signed a Memorandum of Understanding on intellectual property education, creating the first joint master’s programme between WIPO and a UK university.
Colin Sinclair, Chair of Invest Liverpool City Region Partnership Taskforce and KQ Liverpool, said:
“Being named as the first WIPO City of Innovation is testament to the collaborative efforts of our quadruple helix partnerships across the Liverpool City Region, who are using inclusive innovation mechanisms to democratise R&D, and ensure genuine co-creation with direct, hyper-local benefits.
Coupled with the new MOU, winning this award will now accelerate Liverpool’s actions, by galvanising investors, innovators, government, academia, health bodies and communities to focus concerted efforts on invention and commercialisation – improving lives and driving growth for local and global good.”
Link to the full press release can be found on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority website.
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