The Smart Centres Index explores the ability of global commercial centres to create, develop, and deploy technology. Leading centres in the SCI are based in places which combine an innovative, cultural centre with a high-performing university sector across STEM subjects, supported by a well-developed regulatory, commercial, and financial services.

SCI 12 Results

• Zurich took first place in the index, with London and Singapore overtaking San Francisco to take second and third positions.
• Five Western European centres feature in the top 10, alongside two US centres
• Busan and Tel Aviv also feature in the top 10.
• Six centres rose 10 or more places in the ranking in SCI 12, while five centres fell 10 or more places.
• The average rating in SCI 12 rose by 3.33%, building on a rise of 0.63% in SCI 11.
• The biggest increase in average ratings of 4.01% was in Eastern Europe & Central Asia, while the lowest increase in the average rating was for North America where ratings rose 2.46%.
• Assessments in the SCI survey appear to favour centres with strong people skills. This assists leading centres such as Zurich, Singapore, San Francisco, and London.

We asked respondents to the SCI survey to identify the areas of technology which are likely to have the most impact on industry over the next five years. Almost a quarter of respondents identified ‘Artificial Intelligence, Digital And Computing’ as likely to have the greatest impact, with ‘Energy And Environmental Technology’, and ‘Robotics’ mentioned by 17% and 14% of respondents respectively.

The top 20 centres in SCI 12 are shown in the table below:

Full details of SCI 12 can be found at www.smartcentresindex.net.

Professor Michael Mainelli, Chairman of Z/Yen, said:

“AI continues to be a technology exciting business interest and investment froth. However, centres with the skills, know how, and research depth in AI are not just the ones with the investment bubbles. Centres appear to be emerging that focus on ‘boring’ AI work and research into statistical probity, IP rights, information chain-of-custody, regulation, standards, data provenance, and ethics. AI is a rapidly emerging field moving into deployment, so it’s not surprising to see significant shifts in emphasis, shifts that may align with future investments.”

We invite all those with an interest in the development of innovation and technology centres to take part in SCI 13 by rating the financial and commercial centres you know on our continuously running survey – www.smartcentresindex.net/survey/.

ENDS

Notes For Editors

About SCI 12

The SCI is a factor assessment index, combining a number of instrumental factors - data measures drawn from a range of data providers across the world - and assessments given by business and finance professionals of three dimensions related to innovation and technology in major commercial and financial centres:

· Innovation Support - the approach taken to regulation and support for the innovation and technology industry provided by the commercial ecosystem.

· Creative Intensity - the extent to which technology and innovative industries are embedded in the economy of the centre.

· Delivery Capability - the quality of the work being undertaken in the field in the centre.

These dimensions are brought together in the overall SCI ratings to produce the index, which is updated every six months. SCI 12 was compiled using 134 instrumental factors. These quantitative measures are provided by third parties including the World Bank, the OECD, and the United Nations. The instrumental factors were combined with 2,342 assessments provided by 411 respondents to the SCI online questionnaire.

To find out more about sponsorship opportunities, joining the Vantage Financial Centres network, further research, and bespoke reports on individual financial centres, please contact us.

Previous Editions

Previous editions of the SCI can be accessed at https://www.longfinance.net/programmes/financial-centre-futures/smart-centres-index/publications/

Z/Yen & Long Finance

Z/Yen is the City of London's leading commercial think-tank. It was founded in 1994 to promote societal advance through better finance and technology (www.zyen.com). The SCI is part of Z/Yen’s research into economic centres alongside the Global Financial Centres Index and the Global Green Finance Index.

For more information please email Mike Wardle at mike_wardle@zyen.com or phone on +44 (0) 7880 737319.