Brevetti: nella Ue il 9% viene dalle università, ma 4 su 10 scadono entro 10 anni

European patent offices have seen a 9% rise in patents filed by European universities, positioning them behind the United States levels. However, 40.7% of these university patents expire within ten years of filing, compared to only 26.3% in US institutions. A recent study by the EPO in collaboration with Astp and Fraunhofer examined 800 technology transfer offices across Europe, revealing that over four out of ten university patents expire prematurely.

This highlights the challenge in turning legal protection into long-term economic value. The situation occurs in an increasingly competitive global landscape, driven by China's renewed focus on commercializing technologies. EPO President António Campinos emphasized that effectively moving from the lab to the market is crucial for generating employment, growth, and strategic autonomy for Europe.

In the past two decades, applications from universities, public bodies, and research hospitals have more than doubled, from 3,200 in 2006 to nearly 8,000 in 2025, particularly in basic research. Public and academic institutions accounted for 34% of all European patent applications in biotechnology, 29% in quantum technology, and 26% in pharmaceuticals in 2025.

Leading European research powerhouses include CNRS and CEA in France, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft in Germany, Inserm in France, and Imec in Belgium. Germany, France, and the UK have historically led European research, but the rise of the Netherlands, Spain, and Italy is expanding the base of European research. In Italy, the Cnr leads with 34 European patent applications in 2025, followed by Politecnico di Milano (29), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (21), Politecnico di Torino (20), and Università degli Studi di Milano (17).

These institutions specialize in semiconductors, medical technology, pharmaceuticals and medtech, electric machines and energy, and biotechnology, respectively. Italy ranks 6th in Europe for high-tech startups spawned by research, with 289 academic spin-offs filing patents at the EPO. However, the industrial structure shows a significant concentration in early stages: 89.6% of spin-offs are in technology validation, 19 have expanded to the market, none have reached advanced growth (valuations over $500 million), and 3.8% have been acquired by larger groups.

Only 90.5% of technology transfer offices are small or medium-sized, and strengthening them and promoting cross-border collaborations would be a key step to help European inventions succeed in international markets.