Each year the World Economic Forum picks ten emerging technologies based on novelty, progress and potential impact. The 2026 list, published in June, spans energy, materials, health and computing — and many entries are already moving into real use.
- Everything-to-grid energy — buildings, vehicles and devices store and return power to the grid in real time.
- Exosome drug delivery — the body's own couriers carry medicine across biological barriers; 200+ clinical trials since 2022.
- Personalized mRNA cancer vaccines — made from a patient's own tumour; now in phase 3 trials.
- Quantum simulation for drug discovery — modelling molecules with a precision classical computers cannot match.
The report's recurring point: the science is rarely the bottleneck. Manufacturing, regulation and access decide what scales. And underneath almost every entry sits the same enabling layer — data, AI and computing.
What it means for your business
- Assign someone to track technology signals for your sector twice a year.
- Invest in the enabling layer — data, AI and compute — that cuts across every trend.
- Engage regulators and partners early; scaling depends on them.
How MTH can help: Our executive briefings turn technology signals into options for your industry, and our Data and AI services build the enabling layer.
Sources & further reading: World Economic Forum — Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2026 — https://www.weforum.org/publications/top-10-emerging-technologies-of-2026/digest/.
This briefing is original commentary by MTH based on public reporting; figures are as reported by the sources named above and may be revised over time.
This briefing is original commentary by MTH based on public reporting; figures are as reported by the sources named above and may be revised over time.
