Patents

Promoting competitiveness, attracting investment, contributing to economic growth and supporting research and development: these are the main objectives to which patent research contributes in order to create an innovative ecosystem, enabling Made in Italy companies to develop cutting-edge technologies and expand into other markets, including international ones.

In 2024, the DGPI-UIBM received almost 12,000 patent applications, of which more than 10,000 related to industrial invention, a sign that Italian research is active and thriving.

Looking at the European context, Italy also stands out for its patenting activity in the academic sector, ranking fourth in Europe for the number of patent applications received from universities. According to a study published by the EPO, 'The role of European universities in patenting and innovation', Italian universities contributed 6.6 percent of the academic patent applications filed in Europe, registering a total of 7,088 European patents between 2000 and 2020. This highlights the strategic role of Italian universities in promoting innovation and transferring advanced knowledge to the productive system.

Another area in which Italy has made a significant contribution to patent innovation is cancer research. According to the study 'Patents and innovation against cancer', published on World Cancer Day, inventions in this field increased by more than 70% between 2015 and 2021. Italy has played a key role in this progress: over the last 20 years, Italian companies and research centres have filed almost 2,000 patent families internationally. Thanks to this commitment, Italy ranks sixth among European countries and thirteenth globally, in terms of the number of patents dedicated to the fight against cancer, highlighting the value of national scientific research in a crucial sector.