The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) today announced the 11 winners of the WIPO Global Award 2026, celebrating companies that demonstrated excellence in using intellectual property (IP) to bring to market products including drugs to regenerate lung tissue, semiconductors that cut energy loss, AI-guided crop spraying devices and helmet sensors promoting athletes’ brain health.

The WIPO Global Awards reward excellent small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups, which make up over 90 percent of all businesses in the world and around 50 percent of jobs, and highlights how IP improves lives and drives enterprise and job growth.

winners from a pool of 1,300 applications representing 126 countries, Jurors evaluated firms’ business case, IP strategy, internal IP culture and contribution to addressing societal challenges.

This year’s winners represent a diverse range of sectors, from health care to agriculture to drone technology (see below for a list of winners).

The 2026 WIPO Global Awards Winners

Agriculture and Food：

AgZen (United States) -- AI-optimized crop spraying

Infira (Argentina) -- Annual crops made perennials

Creative Industries：

Jade ND (Brazil) -- Game-based learning platform for neurodivergent children

DABIDA (Republic of Korea) -- Handwriting-based AI tutoring system

Environment：

Botree (China) -- Lithium battery recycling

FLOSFIA (Japan) -- Energy-saving semiconductors for greener electronics

Health：

ArteryFlow (China) -- AI cardiovascular diagnostics platform

Regend Therapeutics (China) -- Lung tissue regeneration

ICT:

ICTK (Republic of Korea) -- Keyless hardware security chips

Drovid (Chile) -- Drones detecting human-caused forest fires early

Sports – Special Award:

Bearmind (Switzerland) -- Helmet sensors tracking brain health in contact sports

Special Mentions

Best Youth Entrepreneur 2026 -- Vishnu Jayaprakash, CEO of AgZen (United States)

Best Woman Entrepreneur 2026 -- Renata Reinheimer, CEO of Infira (Argentina)

China Has the Largest Number of Award-Winning Enterprises

The number of applicants for the 2026 WIPO Global Awards hit a record high. Six Chinese enterprises were among the 33 shortlisted candidates. Three Chinese companies claimed the WIPO Global Awards out of the 11 final winners. China ranks first globally in the number of awardees, with the winning enterprises active in the environment and health sectors.

Botree (an SME in the environmental sector) is dedicated to providing comprehensive solutions for the sustainable development of key new energy materials. To date, the company has filed 149 patent applications, including 13 PCT international patent applications, and holds 42 granted invention patents.

ArteryFlow (an SME in the health sector) specialises in precision intelligent diagnosis, treatment and solutions for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Up to now, the company has filed 158 invention patent applications, of which 122 have been granted. It also owns 56 software copyrights and 70 registered trademarks at home and abroad.

Regend Therapeutics (a start-up in the health sector) focuses on research into autologous lung progenitor cell therapy. At present, the company holds 13 granted patents and has filed 3 PCT international patent applications.