Riyadh becomes only Gulf city among world’s top 100 innovation clusters
RIYADH — Riyadh has ranked among the world’s top 100 innovation clusters in the 2026 Global Innovation Index, becoming the only Gulf city to achieve the classification. The Saudi capital ranked 92nd globally, recording 419 venture capital deals in innovation and 162 international patent applications. The report identified King Saud University, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University and Prince Sultan University as key contributors to Riyadh’s research output, while SABIC and Aramco were highlighted for their contributions to innovation. The ranking reflects the Kingdom’s growing research and innovation ecosystem and its support for researchers and innovators.