Universities and research centres play a driving role in Europe as catalysts for innovation from the public sector. This is explained by the European Patent Office (EPO) in a study that analyses how public research organisations (PROs) contribute to boosting the innovation ecosystem in Europe through their activities.

According to this study, Spain is the country that is experiencing the greatest growth in the number of patents applied for by public bodies in Europe. Spain’s leadership is not restricted to a single year, but has been forged with exponential growth over the two decades analysed in the report, between 2001 and 2020, with an accumulated increase of 365%.

Public research organisations
Thanks to this growth, Spain is now the European country with the fifth highest number of patents applied for by public research organisations. From 57 applications in 2001, this number has increased to 265 in 2020. In total, 2,994 applications were submitted during those two decades, only behind France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.

The report highlights the strategic importance of the public sector within the innovation ecosystem as a whole, crediting it with driving around 63,000 inventions across Europe during the period under review. In the case of Spain, 11.9% of the European patents applied for during this period originated from public research centres.

Very good international reputation
According to the EPO, Spanish PROs do in addition have a very good international reputation, with the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) [Spanish National Research Council] being the ninth most active organisation of its kind in Europe thanks to its 1,069 European patent applications between 2001 and 2020.

This boost in public innovation has helped to create a very welcoming environment for entrepreneurship, as indicated by the EPO, which has recorded 97 start-ups linked to universities, hospitals and public research centres in Spain. By industry, the majority of PROs in Spain are active in the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, measurement technologies, semiconductors, information technology and other strategic areas of applied research.

EPO President António Campinos says public research is “one of Europe’s greatest strengths” and explained, “This study highlights the vital role of our public research organisations and hospitals, whose inventions are driving European competitiveness”. To maximise the potential of public research, he added, “we must intensify collaboration and accelerate the transfer to technologies with practical applications”.

^{Photo: European Patent Office}