European patent applications (patent families) by university
How many patents (patent families) have been filed per Dutch university in the period 1996-2020? In this data publication we share the figures from the Worldwide Patent Statistical Database (PATSTAT) of the European Patent Office (EPO).
In short
- Most Dutch universities show a growth in the number of patent applications (1996-2020).
- TU Delft applies by far the most patents of all Dutch universities.
- The number of patent applications by Utrecht University decreased throughout the period.
Number of patent applications from Dutch universities (1996-2020)
1996-2000 | 2001-2005 | 2006-2010 | 2011-2015 | 2016-2020 | |
TUD | 106 | 133 | 181 | 172 | 215 |
UL | 77 | 78 | 122 | 126 | 123 |
RUG | 48 | 28 | 47 | 67 | 96 |
TU/e | 29 | 38 | 63 | 48 | 89 |
UvA | 31 | 61 | 77 | 83 | 85 |
UM | 11 | 14 | 56 | 63 | 70 |
EUR | 27 | 63 | 101 | 77 | 67 |
RUN | 14 | 31 | 64 | 73 | 53 |
WUR | 13 | 16 | 40 | 36 | 47 |
UT | 14 | 26 | 51 | 66 | 46 |
UU | 61 | 57 | 36 | 32 | 20 |
VU | 4 | 11 | 64 | 73 | 10 |
Analysis
In the time periods (1996-2000, 2001-2005, 2006-2010, 2011-2015, 2016-2020) the number of patent applications increased at most universities. The differences between universities are large. While TU Delft has filed more than 200 patent applications in the last period, a number of other universities do not exceed 50. This may have to do with the policy pursued within the universities and with the topics of research.