Johns Hopkins APL Earns Eighth Straight Selection to Fast Company’s 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators List

The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, has been named by Fast Company as one of the Best Workplaces for Innovators for the eighth year in a row. APL placed 26 on this year’s list of the 100 global companies that are dedicated to a culture of innovation, selected from nearly 1,000 applicants. With this recognition, APL has now earned eight consecutive placements 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 distinction is a testament to the culture of innovation and mission-focused spirit that we collectively have built across the Laboratory,” said APL Director Dave Van Wie. “Our exceptional staff is focused on delivering the high-impact breakthroughs and capabilities that are at the core of APL’s commitment to strengthening our nation’s security in an increasingly complex world.”

Through significant internal investments in research and development, deep staff expertise, cross-domain collaborations, and specialized laboratories and tools, APL provides researchers and teams with the resources and spaces necessary to explore emerging concepts, mature promising technologies, and transition capabilities to the government.

Developed in collaboration with Accenture, Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators list ranks 100 winning organizations in various industries — from technology to healthcare to marketing, among others.

The Lab has previously appeared on Fast Company lists of top innovative companies for breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, space science, robotics and autonomy, healthcare, and more. A total of 11 APL innovations have been honored with Fast Company World Changing Idea awards, including APL’s Augmented Reality for Lifesaving Trauma Care recognized this year. APL was also named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2026, for developing cybersecurity tools that help protect industrial control systems supporting essential services such as electricity, water, and transportation.