EPO Study Shows Rise in Patents from Europe’s Public Research Organisations

A new study by the European Patent Office (EPO) Observatory on Patents and Technology reveals that European public research organisations (PROs) almost doubled their patent applications between 2001 and 2020, highlighting a growing capacity for knowledge transfer and research commercialisation across the continent.

During this period, PROs filed nearly 63,000 European patent applications, with annual filings rising from around 2,000 to more than 3,500. The study underlines the vital contribution of PROs and research hospitals to Europe’s innovation landscape and the need for greater collaboration to maximise their impact.

“Public research is one of Europe’s greatest strengths,” said EPO President António Campinos. “To unlock its full potential, we must strengthen collaboration and accelerate the transfer of research into real-world technologies.”

Leaders and Trends in Patenting

Patenting activity remains highly concentrated: just 16 organisations accounted for over two-thirds of all filings. France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) leads with more than 10,200 patent applications, followed by CEA (France) and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (Germany). In other countries, such as Italy, Switzerland, and the UK, universities remain the principal drivers of patenting.

The study also finds that PROs are increasingly managing their own intellectual property, filing seven direct patents for every indirect one, indicating stronger internal structures for knowledge transfer.

Research Hospitals and Collaboration

Europe’s research hospitals increased their patenting activity by nearly 50% between 2001 and 2020, particularly in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and medical technologies. The most active institution is Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP).

Collaboration remains a defining feature of Europe’s research ecosystem, though cross-border partnerships are still limited, revealing ongoing fragmentation in the European innovation space. The introduction of the Unitary Patent in 2023 marks an important step towards addressing this.

Connecting Research and Investment

To complement the study, the EPO expanded its Deep Tech Finder, a free tool linking investors with over 10,000 startups emerging from public research. The platform now includes PROs with pending or granted patents, helping to connect innovation with investment opportunities.

This study and related initiatives, developed in collaboration with 24 national patent offices, reflect Europe’s growing commitment to strengthening knowledge transfer and supporting innovation-driven growth.

Read the full study here.