The UAB, highest number of university European patent applications in Spain

According to the annual report of the European Patent Office, the UAB maintains its lead, for third consecutive year, of Spanish universities applying for patents, with a total of 26 European Patent applications.

09/03/2018

The UAB continues to lead the ranking of patent applications among Spanish universities. This is true according to the latest report by the European Patent Office (EPO), which recently presented the balance of European patents in 2017.

Specifically, the UAB Valorisation and Patents Office presented 26 patent applications in Europe, and 39 in Spain, as well as international extensions and derivatives. The total number of registered patents was 65.

With regard to the transfer of these patents to socio-economic surroundings, the UAB signed five licence agreements with different companies.

Patent applications in Catalonia rise 15.7% in 2017
Companies and laboratories across Catalonia registered a total of 633 patent applications last year, the highest number in all of Spain. Madrid, ranking second, presented 326 patent applications, representing 19.3% of all patents registered; and in third position was the Basque Country, with 212 patents (12.6%).

The ranking is led by Esteve Laboratories, the UAB and SEAT, with 26, 26 and 11 patent applications. Practically all patent applications are registered in the Barcelona province (565), followed by Tarragona (30), Lleida (19) and Girona (19).

The number of applications presented in Spain grew 7.4% in 2017 and is the largest growth in patent applications in Europe in the past five years. The centres in Spain which most apply for patents with the EPO are public and private research centres. In first place are the Spanish National Research Council (43), followed by the Tecnalia Research&Innovation Foundation (27).