WIPO Launches the World Intellectual Property Report 2026 on the Speed of Global Technological Diffusion, with Highlights on Brazil

WIPO Launches the World Intellectual Property Report 2026 on the Speed of Global Technological Diffusion, with Highlights on Brazil

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has released the World Intellectual Property Report 2026: Technology on the Move, which examines how innovations diffuse globally—from invention to large-scale adoption—and how the acceleration of this process influences economic development and inequalities among countries. Based on historical data and case studies in the agricultural, clean energy, and digital sectors, the report demonstrates that innovation alone is not sufficient: technologies generate impact only when they are effectively absorbed and implemented. In this context, intellectual property plays a central role in fostering innovation. However, for such innovation to succeed, it is essential to take into account regulatory and geopolitical factors, which continue to shape the global technological trajectory.

In the first chapter, WIPO emphasizes that public policies, regulatory frameworks, and balanced intellectual property systems are decisive for technological diffusion. Historical evidence shows that when these conditions are present, adoption accelerates at unprecedented rates. The second chapter analyzes international knowledge flows and reveals that the average time for a patent to receive its first international citation has fallen from 2.8 years in the 1970s to less than 2 years in the 2020s. Nevertheless, deep science-based technologies—such as AI and biotechnology—take, on average, 10 years to convert scientific discoveries into patented applications.

The sectoral analysis further explores these dynamics. In the third chapter, devoted to agriculture, the report shows that genetically modified (GM) crops and precision agriculture technologies (PATs) diffuse more rapidly in large-scale farms, and that the average cycle between discovery and regulatory approval of a new GM seed is approximately 16.5 years. The fourth chapter examines clean technologies through case studies on solar energy, electric vehicles, and hydrogen, highlighting that diffusion depends on overcoming infrastructure and coordination barriers. The fifth chapter addresses digital diffusion and demonstrates that infrastructure bottlenecks remain central to technological exclusion.

With respect to Brazil and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the report points to structural challenges combined with experiences of accelerated adoption. As a bloc, LAC still shows delays in absorbing frontier technologies: regional science takes between 8 and 9 years to be converted into local patents, and there are lags of 12 to 17 years in reusing clean technology trajectories developed in other regions.

Brazil, however, stands out. The report indicates that the country exhibits GenAI usage rates far above what would be expected for its income level, signaling a rapid social and institutional response to digital diffusion. In agribusiness, performance is even more remarkable: genetically modified corn was adopted in approximately 80% of cultivated areas within just six years after commercialization began—a faster pace than that observed in the United States.

In sum, although Latin America faces institutional constraints in converting science into local innovation, Brazil demonstrates that technological diffusion can be extremely rapid when there is economic demand, adequate incentives, and market access. The central challenge lies less in access itself and more in strengthening local absorptive capacity—through education, infrastructure, and intellectual property systems—as a prerequisite for transforming innovation into sustainable economic growth.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Report can be accessed through the following link: World Intellectual Property Report 2026.

Note: For quick release, this English version is provided by automated translation without human review.