Johns Hopkins APL Named a Best Workplace for Innovators for Seventh Straight Year

For the seventh year in a row, the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, has been named to Fast Company’s list of the Best Workplaces for Innovators. APL placed 50th on this year’s list of the 100 most innovative organizations from around the world, selected from nearly 1,000 applicants.­­ This is APL’s seventh straight placement in the Top 50, making the Laboratory the only organization to achieve this feat since the award’s inception in 2019, and one of only two companies to have been named to the list every year.

“This is great recognition for the Laboratory’s amazing and innovative staff and their focus on mission-driven innovation, because that’s what enables discoveries and technologies critical to the nation,” said APL Director Dave Van Wie. “It also reflects our unwavering and deep-rooted commitment to contributing critical research to address our nation’s most complex challenges.”

The 2025 list honors organizations worldwide that empower employees at every level to pursue bold ideas and deliver breakthrough solutions. Since APL’s founding during World War II to develop and field a critical defense technology, the Laboratory has a legacy of pioneering solutions in such domains as air and missile defense, undersea systems, space science and engineering, precision strike, artificial intelligence and machine learning, cyber, biomanufacturing and global health. APL works closely with industry and the broader research community, and commits significant internal investment toward developing innovative concepts and capabilities that address the nation’s most urgent and complex challenges.

The Lab has previously appeared on Fast Company lists of top innovative companies for breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, space science and technology, and health care. Ten APL innovations have been named World Changing Ideas by Fast Company since the awards were established.

Developed in collaboration with Accenture, Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators list recognizes top organizations in industries ranging from technology and entertainment to education and health care.