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Inventions in fields such as vaccines or mRNA research, materials science, or advances in laser technology all owe their existence to university research. A new report published this week by the European Patent Office (EPO) shows that patent applications for inventions made by European universities have increased over the past two decades. They now account for 10.2% of all patent applications filed at the EPO by European applicants. In the Netherlands, academic patents represent 5.5% of all European patent applications filed at the EPO by Dutch applicants in the period 2000 to 2020.

Dutch contribution to innovation

Dutch universities have a prominent role in this trend. They rank seventh in Europe in terms of the total number of academic patents. With a remarkable 245 patents per institution, Dutch universities lead the European average. This achievement highlights the targeted research strategies and efficient transfer of knowledge into applications that are market-relevant.

TU Eindhoven is the leader within the Netherlands, followed by TU Delft and Utrecht University. These institutes have 1404, 699, and 413 European patent applications to their credit, respectively. The numbers reflect the strong focus on technological development and innovation that characterizes these universities.

Impact on start-ups and SMEs

Start-ups play a crucial role in commercializing university inventions. Between 2015 and 2019, start-ups based in the Netherlands filed a significant number of European patent applications. This underscores the ability of the Netherlands to translate academic innovations to the market. Moreover, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) accounted for 30% of patent applications, indicating a vibrant ecosystem for innovation.

Interestingly, two-thirds of all patent applications resulting from university research are not filed directly by the universities themselves, but by other entities such as companies. This indicates intense collaboration between academic institutions and industry, with companies often taking on the role of innovation accelerators by bringing university inventions to market.

Deep Tech Finder

The EPO has also updated the Deep Tech Finder, a tool that allows users to search university patents and their spin-outs with ease. With this data on nearly 900 European universities, company profiles, and patent portfolios of more than 1,500 spin-outs, this tool provides a transparent overview of knowledge transfer from academia.