The University of Barcelona is the leader of the State in the generation of patents according to the first long-term study by the OEP
The University of Barcelona is the State university that generated the most patents during the period 2000-2020 according to the results of the first comprehensive and long-term study of patent applications prepared by the European Patent Office (OEP).
Spain ranks tenth in Europe in the number of academic patents, with Spanish universities responsible for 3.23% of all European applications.
Catalonia leads the state in the application of patents and consolidates itself as a key driver in technological innovation and knowledge transfer. Specifically, the University of Barcelona generated 330 European patents in the period studied, followed by the Autonomous University of Barcelona (328), the Polytechnic University of Valencia (301), the Polytechnic University of Catalonia-BarcelonaTech (298) and the University Polytechnic of Madrid (260).
The University of Barcelona demonstrates with these data its commitment to cutting-edge research and the development of innovative solutions that contribute to the technological and scientific progress of Spain and Europe.
“Patents are a very important asset for the University of Barcelona because they help us turn the knowledge generated at the UB into real solutions to the major challenges we face as a society, such as climate change, energy poverty or care for alzheimer”, points out Mercè Segarra, vice-rector of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Transfer at the UB.
The report also points out that patents originating in European universities account for 10.2% of all applications submitted to the OEP. The study notes that, while the majority of patents originating in universities have been filed by companies, the percentage of patents filed directly by universities has increased: from 24% to 45% in the two decades studied On the other hand, the report highlights the challenges in cross-border collaboration, since most requests are made in collaboration with local partners.
The report, drawn up by the OEP together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research, is drawn up with data from 1,200 European universities.