Research centres have helped place Portugal among Europe’s top 20 leaders in patents. Between 2001 and 2020, a total of 265 patent applications were submitted to the European Patent Office (EPO), with 10.3% of all applications coming from public research organisations (PRO); INESC TEC stands out as Portugal’s leading institution in patent protection activities. Although a private non-profit organisation, INESC TEC is classified as a PRO in this context.
The European Patent Office released a new study by the Observatory on Patents and Technology, developed in cooperation with Fraunhofer ISI, placing Portugal 16th among 39 European countries for patent activities. Alongside INESC TEC, the Instituto de Telecomunicações also features among the country’s top PROs in patent submission.
In 2024 alone, INESC TEC submitted six European patent applications, acting as lead applicant in five of them. In addition, the Institute obtained three European patent grants last year. With 2025 still underway, that number has increased to eight. Notably, 35% of INESC TEC’s total European patent applications have been filed since 2020, i.e. after the period analysed in the EPO study.
Since 2017, INESC TEC has consistently ranked in Portugal’s national top 10 for patent filings, according to the EPO’s annual report. The same institution now identifies INESC TEC and IT as two of the main national drivers behind Portugal’s strong patent performance.
Portugal also leads Europe in the adoption of the Unitary Patent system, with a 92.3% usage rate among PROs and research hospitals – more than double the European average of 41%. Together with Italy and Spain, Portugal forms the top three countries surpassing the continental average.
The Unitary Patent system simplifies and reduces the cost of protecting inventions in Europe, allowing applicants to file a single application, in one language, with one fee, valid across multiple countries. It also offers a centralised litigation mechanism, ensuring greater legal certainty and accelerating the commercialisation of innovation – thus encouraging research, development, and investment, as the EPO explains.
“These figures demonstrate Portugal’s determination to combine scientific excellence with strong intellectual property protection, enhancing the value of research beyond national borders,” stated the EPO.
Over the past decade, Portuguese public research organisations have increasingly taken ownership of their intellectual property, with the proportion of patent applications filed directly by PROs rising from 59.3% to 86.9%.
According to António Campinos, President of the EPO, “public research is one of Europe’s greatest strengths. This study highlights the vital role of our public research organisations and hospitals, whose inventions strengthen Europe’s competitiveness. But to unlock their full potential, we must intensify collaboration and accelerate the transfer of research into real-world technologies.”
The study also highlights the commercial impact of research-linked startups, showing that 2,800 European startups have filed patent applications with the EPO involving inventors from universities, PROs or research hospitals – representing 27% of all European startups with EPO patent applications. Portugal currently accounts for 16 of these startups, with INESC TEC playing a prominent role.
“For the third consecutive year, INESC TEC has reached the podium in the European innovation ‘Champions League’. This time, with the KEPsoft technology, we were one of the winners in the Expected Impact category of the EARTO Innovation Awards, organised by the European Association of Research and Technology Organisations. It is the second consecutive year that award-winning technologies have led to the creation of INESC TEC tech startups,” explained Daniel Vasconcelos, head of the Institute’s Technology Licensing Office.
Despite the global decline in patent registrations, Portugal has been bucking the trend – as the EPO study confirms – with INESC TEC playing an increasingly central role in sustaining and advancing these positive results.
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