According to the current Patent Index 2020 Bavaria remains the leading region for patent applications in the EU. Despite a 7.6 percent decline compared to the previous year, Bavaria remains in first place with 7,204 patents. It is followed by the French region of Île-de-France (6,597 patents) and Baden-Württemberg (5,421 patents). Other German regions among the top 10 include North Rhine-Westphalia (4th place), Lower Saxony (7th place), Hesse (8th place), and Rhineland-Palatinate (9th place).
In a comparison of German cities, Munich clearly leads the field. With 3,633 patent applications in 2020, the state capital registered almost twice as many as second-placed Stuttgart (1,739 patents). Ludwigshafen follows in third place with 1,115 patents. However, Munich recorded a decline of 11.5 percent in patents last year, while Stuttgart and Ludwigshafen recorded significant increases of 8.7 percent and 8.3 percent, respectively.
Bruno Götz, Head of the Patent Center Bavaria at Bavaria Innovative, explains the clear lead of Bayern and Munich:
"Munich, like Bavaria as a whole, is home to many research institutions, universities, innovative companies, and startups. Furthermore, leading company Siemens mostly files its patents centrally in Munich."
Share of patents from SMEs increases
But alongside the large corporations, the important role of SMEs should not be forgotten, Götz continued:
"After the share of SMEs has steadily declined in recent years, the situation developed positively in 2020: SMEs were able to increase the number of registrations by 3 percent to a total of 21 percent."
Often it is not the large companies with the best ideas, but the medium-sized companies and start-ups that bring about progress and new developments.
“Our Patent Index 2020 shows that demand for patent protection remains high,”
says Antonio Campino, President of the EPO. He emphasizes the central role of innovation for the economy:
"Even if we cannot reliably predict the trends in patent filing activity in the coming months or years, it is undisputed that the path to a healthier world and stronger, more sustainable economies lies through innovation, research, and science. Innovation, supported by a strong intellectual property system, is a significant driver of recovery in every respect."
Medical sector leader
Looking at the sectors, the majority of patents last year came from the life sciences sector. The focus was on medical technology (14,295), pharmaceuticals (8,589), and biotechnology (7,246). These sectors have experienced steady growth in patent applications since 2006, according to the study.
