The European Patent Office (EPO) is one of Europe’s largest public service institutions, examining patent applications and thereby enabling “inventors, researchers, and companies worldwide to protect their inventions” in 46 countries. As part of its mission, the EPO has published the first comprehensive study covering more than 800 technology transfer offices (TTOs), a study that serves as a reference framework at the European level.
Making Europe More Competitive
“Europe is a powerhouse of world-class research, but its ability to turn that excellence into technologies and companies is increasingly important for competitiveness.” As the EPO notes, in this context, technology transfer offices provide invaluable support to European researchers by helping them identify and protect their inventions, as well as connect with companies, other entrepreneurs, and investors.
Several points in the EPO’s study illustrate Europe’s standing in this field:
- Europe has caught up with the United States in terms of patents held by universities: patents involving universities account for about 9% of European patents, a figure close to that of the United States;
- over the past twenty years, the number of European patent applications involving a university, a public research organization, or a research hospital has more than doubled, rising from approximately 3,200 in 2006 to nearly 8,000 in 2025;
- in 2025, public research institutions accounted for approximately 34% of European patent applications in the field of biotechnology, 29% in quantum technologies, and 26% in pharmaceuticals.
Three French research organizations among Europe’s leaders
To complement the report, the EPO is launching a dashboard, the Data Desk, dedicated to European public research, which allows users to analyze patenting activity by country, institution, and technology. According to data from this new tool, as highlighted by the INPI (French National Institute of Industrial Property) in 2025, three French research institutes stand out and rank among the top four European patent applicants:
- the French National Centre for Scientific Research, CNRS, which has established itself “as Europe’s leading public research organization” in terms of the volume of patent applications filed with the EPO (729 patent applications), and which is highly active in at least three fields: pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and measurement technologies. The French organization is thus consolidating “its historic leadership in technology transfer in Europe”;
- the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) ranks third in Europe (528 applications) and has proven to be “a key player in semiconductors and low-carbon energy”;
- INSERM, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research focused on the life sciences, ranks fourth in Europe (432 applications).
Two other French institutions—two universities, Université Paris Cité and Sorbonne University—rank 9th and 11th, respectively, in this study. The European Patent Office highlights the “strong momentum of interdisciplinary innovation” at these two universities.
Many French companies stem directly from research
Beyond patents, France also stands out for the number of companies spun off from research. Another tool, the Deep Tech Finder, is in fact linked to the EPO’s study. Created to identify the various players in disruptive innovation (deep tech) in Europe, this tool ranks France second in Europe for the number of spin-offs or startups originating from research (633 spin-offs identified), just behind the United Kingdom.
It is also worth noting that the EPO highlights the effectiveness of Technology Transfer Acceleration Companies (SATTs), a French initiative that links public research and the business world. These SATTs, which are highly effective at transforming laboratory inventions into viable startups, have to date helped create nearly 1,000 startups.
Source: www.campusfrance.org
