The European Patent Office (EPO) presented a new report “Role of European universities in patents and innovations” at the online event held on Tuesday, October 22, 2024. This event that gathered leading researchers, professionals for technology transfer and representatives of economic community, marked the first anniversary of the EPO Observatory for Patents and Technology.
The participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with the latest data emphasizing continually growing role of universities in the development of innovations, but also to find out more about challenges in the transfer of knowledge from the academic to the market level. According to the latest study presented by the EPO, academic research in Europe is responsible for the 10% of all patents, which represents a significant rise in the last two decades. Universities in Germany, France, Great Britain and Italy are heading while the small group of leading universities is responsible for the half of all academic patent applications.
The President of the EPO, Antonio Campinos stated: “Europe has a long tradition of academic excellence, but we sometimes fight to transform research work into commercial success. This study sheds the light on academic inventions all over Europe, so that this topic may get its place in various politics and strategies. Using patents in the form of licensing, cooperation or by establishing spin-out companies, the universities may strengthen their influence both on the market and as a form of social values”.
In addition to presenting this study, the EPO showed the participants also the latest version of the tool Deep Tech Finder, which enables easier survey and mapping of university patent applications and their spin-out companies, which additionally links academic and business community in Europe.
Have a look at the short video about the tool Deep Tech Finder.
Have a look at the EPO publication and find out more at the following link.
Read the press release of the EPO dealing with this event.