The latest annual report on Top 10 Emerging Technologies by the World Economic Forum highlights advancements in green technology aimed at enhancing resource efficiency and personalized medicine. Released during the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, China, the report emphasizes innovation-ready scientific breakthroughs poised to transform the world.
The 2026 edition features a diverse range of innovative fields, including energy-to-grid systems, direct lithium extraction, passive radiative cooling materials, the breakdown of forever chemicals, precision fermentation, exosome-based drug delivery, personalized mRNA cancer vaccines, quantum simulation for drug discovery, development of comprehensive world models, and lattice-based cryptography.
Technological developments are increasingly customized for individual patients or specific applications. Many solutions are also becoming more decentralized, enabling production of food, energy, and raw materials closer to the point of consumption. This approach results in higher outputs with fewer resources. For example, energy-to-grid systems can integrate dispersed resources such as electric vehicles, manufacturing facilities, and data centers, allowing stored energy to be returned to the grid during peak demand periods.
In California during a 2024 peak demand event, over 16,000 solar-powered homes collectively supplied 51 megawatts of electricity, surpassing several traditional fossil-fuel power plants’ output. Other key green innovations include passive radiative cooling materials, which reflect up to 95% of sunlight to cool building surfaces naturally without external energy sources. Technologies for direct lithium extraction enhance the recovery of lithium from geothermal fluids, wastewater from oilfields, and recycled materials, supporting the battery supply chain.
Efforts to eliminate forever chemicals involve utilizing high temperatures, electric currents, or ultraviolet light to destroy PFAS, which are notoriously resistant to natural degradation. In medicine, personalized mRNA cancer treatments are developed by sequencing a patient’s tumor to identify unique genetic mutations and create tailored vaccines. A clinical trial targeting melanoma demonstrated a 40-50% reduction in recurrence or mortality risk using this approach.
Additional life sciences innovations include exosome-based drug delivery systems, which improve the precision and efficacy of targeted therapies, and the use of quantum computing for drug discovery, enhancing the likelihood of identifying effective new medications.
This year marks the 14th edition of the Top 10 Emerging Technologies report, aiming to identify breakthroughs that could reshape the economic and social landscape over the next three to five years. It calls on policymakers and industry leaders to support the deployment of these transformative solutions.