CityUHK leads in US patents for nine years among Hong Kong universities; The sole local university breaking into global top 100
City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) becomes the only university in Hong Kong this year to secure a place in the prestigious global top 100 universities worldwide for most US patents granted and lead among all local institutions for the 9th consecutive year, ranking 32nd globally and 6th in Asia, further solidifying its leadership as a leading hub for research and innovation in Hong Kong that develops solutions to address global challenges.
The global top 100 universities rankings in US patents granted, published annually by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), recognises universities around the globe for their significant contributions to scientific discovery and commercialisation. With 95 US Utility Patents granted in 2024, CityUHK ranked 32nd globally, climbing 12 places from last year. This highlights the University’s unique strengths in academic and research, and demonstrates that the University’s impact is widely recognised locally, regionally and internationally.
As of 4 March 2025, CityUHK had applied for 1,902 patents for technologies around the world, 856 of which have been granted, spanning a wide range of fields, including ICT, AI & data science, materials and physics, bio-engineering & life sciences, and green technologies.
“CityUHK is committed to promoting inspirational, interactive and innovative education, developing innovative solutions to address global issues through groundbreaking research,” said Professor Freddy Boey, President and University Distinguished Professor of CityUHK. “Through various innovative and forward-looking initiatives like HK Tech 300, CityUHK Academy of Innovation and Institute of Digital Medicine, CityUHK is actively driving the transformation of intellectual property into practical applications, making significant contributions to Hong Kong, Mainland China, and the world.”
President Boey also highlighted that CityUHK will strive to promote interdisciplinary collaboration across diverse scientific disciplines and industry-academia-research cooperation. By strengthening connections between industry, academic researchers, and investors, greater synergy can be achieved. Currently, nearly 100 patents have successfully received investment from HK Tech 300 Angel Fund startup teams that have signed licensing agreements with CityUHK. This reflects CityUHK's relentless efforts in promoting industry-academia-research collaboration.
CityUHK's high ranking on this list underscores its important position in the global innovation field. In addition to consistently achieving excellent results in various international invention exhibitions, including the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva and Asia Exhibition of Innovations & Inventions Hong Kong, CityUHK's outstanding reputation has also been widely recognised by the international academic community. In the Times Higher Education (THE) World Reputation Rankings 2025, CityUHK announced its recognition as one of the top 30 universities in Asia for four consecutive years, leading to its being invited to join the THE World 100 Reputation Network Management Committee, where it proudly serves as the only Asian representative. Additionally, 32 scholars from CityUHK were named Highly Cited Researchers 2024 by Clarivate, placing the University 29th globally, 8th in Asia and 2nd in Hong Kong.
The NAI is a member organisation comprising more than 250 US and international universities, and governmental and non-profit research institutes worldwide. It enhances the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourages inventors to register innovative creations and intellectual property, educates and mentors innovative students, and translates members’ inventions to benefit society. The NAI annually ranks the top 100 universities worldwide for the highest number of utility patents granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, serving as a globally recognised benchmark for university research output.