Thales among the world’s top 100 most innovative companies for the 12th year, according to Clarivate

In 2025, Thales ranks among the top 0.01% of the most innovative companies and institutions worldwide, out of more than one million organisations, according to the Clarivate Top 100 Global Innovators™. This year, 22 European companies and institutions, including 7 in France, feature in this globally recognised innovation ranking. Clarivate assesses not only the quantity but also the quality of patents filed. Thales is the French company with the longest consecutive presence in this Top 100.

Thales holds over 21,000 patents and patent applications, protecting around 400 new inventions each year, half of which relate to key technological fields such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, cloud technologies, and quantum technology. In AI, Thales is the leading European patent applicant for critical systems, with over 40 new inventions each year protected by a patent or patent application, and a portfolio of 300 inventions. In quantum technology, Thales is also the leading European patent applicant in its ecosystem, both in the fields of quantum sensing and quantum communication*, with a portfolio of over 70 protected inventions.

"This 12th recognition primarily rewards our 4,000 inventors, each of whom has at least one patent to their name. It is also a testament to Thales’s ambitious innovation strategy, built on collaboration and anticipation of technological breakthroughs. In a world where the pace of change is accelerating, the company continues to invest in strengthening its unique technological leadership,” said Patrice Caine, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer.

Thales’s strong commitment to innovation provides a key differentiator for its products and solutions. It is also a major driver of attractiveness for the company, which is accelerating its transformation into a full learning company. A total of 3,000 researchers and 30,000 engineers are involved in Research & Development, with €4.2 billion invested annually in R&D, including over €1 billion in self-funded research. By 2028, Thales plans to invest €5 billion annually in its R&D activities.

^{* primarily in the field of quantum communication for Space}