The entities leading the EPO's Patent Index 2019 are, in order, the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), with a total of 34 applications; Fundación Tecnalia Research & Innovation, with 26; and Telefónica, with 23. Following ESTEVE are Dalphi Metal, with 19; Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB), with 14; ICFO- Instituto de Ciencias Fotónicas, with 12; and Repsol, with 11.
The pharmaceutical industry is the sector with the most patent applications
According to the EPO, patent applications coming from Spain grew 6% in 2019 compared to the previous year, which means an increase for the fifth consecutive year and confirms a stable upward trend. With this increase, Spain is far above the 2019 average of the 38 member states of the EPO (+1.1%).
It is also notable that, for the second consecutive year, the pharmaceutical industry is the sector with the greatest number of patent applications originating from Spain, with growth of 2.5% to reach 165 applications.