PARIS, Nov 23 — As well as being a neighbour to tech giants like Facebook and Google, the city of San Francisco is also taking a global lead when it comes to investment in green technologies. This is one of the conclusions to emerge from a study identifying the most innovative cities.
From artificial intelligence and big data to biotechnology research and the development of new financial services, innovation is a very broad field that cuts across huge areas of expertise — not all of which are necessarily focused on improving our living conditions.
But looking at levels of company investment in the green technology sector can help identify the global cities where the most work is being done to shape the world of tomorrow.
And on this point, San Francisco appears to be taking a lead. Indeed, the city is more than just home to high-tech companies creating the most innovative, cutting-edge technologies.
The city is also the destination with the largest number of companies involved in environmental projects, whether in greentech, eco-building, green consumer goods or renewable energy.
In the study dedicated to business innovation from FINOM — a start-up that provides financial services in France, Germany and Italy — San Francisco scores highest for the size of the business ecosystem devoted to green technologies.
The number of companies involved, but also the amount of funding granted, was calculated to place the American city as the best in the field.
However, another particularly innovative destination is doing a better job of investing in stimulating research. From University College London to City University of London, the British capital is one of the world’s top destinations for higher education, with the biggest number of highly-ranked research universities.
Of the 100 cities in the ranking, London is also the most committed to supporting the success of startups.
No other city has invested as much in start-ups, according to the study, which looked at the number of companies founded in each city after 2010 that have received funding at some point since 2015.
Note that in the overall ranking — which takes into account all sectors of innovation — San Francisco takes the top spot, ahead of Beijing and New York. — ETX Studio
