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According to the Patent Index 2019 report by the European Patent Office (EPO), applications originating in the UK rose by 6.9% to 6,156 in 2019, following an increase of 8.2% the previous year. The country retained its 3% share of total European patent applications.
Rolls-Royce was the top British applicant, filing 494 patent applications, followed by consumer-focused companies. A newcomer to the top 20 list of UK filers was Cambridge Enterprise Limited with 26 applications, the University of Cambridge’s technology transfer entity supporting students and staff to commercialise inventions.
The consumer goods sector was responsible for most applications. Other sectors generating large volumes included computer technology – particularly AI, machine learning and data processing – and medical technology.
“The UK has long been respected for its high-quality, diverse R&D activities and once more there is evidence of strong growth in this year’s patent-filing data from the EPO,” said Karl Barnfather, chairman of European intellectual property firm Withers & Rogers, which described the annual increase as ‘significant’. “The volume of European patent applications originating from the UK has increased more than 20% since 2015 – clear evidence of sustained impetus and investment.”
The increase in UK applications was above average for the second year in a row. Overall filings increased by 4% to 181,406 in 2019. The largest numbers came from the US, Germany and Japan. The UK came ninth in the overall list of top-filing nations.
“Despite the growth in innovation activity, there is still a history of under investment in R&D in the UK compared to countries such as Germany and the US. This is evident in data published earlier this year, revealing that investment in R&D in the UK equates to just 1.7% of GDP, compared to 2.8% in the US, 3% in Germany and 4.6% in South Korea.
“The budget statement yesterday (11 March) announced some very positive news about funding for R&D, which should help to boost innovation activity in the UK. As well as increasing public investment in R&D to £22bn by 2024-25 – almost double the current level – the chancellor announced plans to invest £800m in a new ‘blue skies science research agency’, modelled on the US Advanced Research Projects Agency (Arpa), to spearhead investment in early-stage R&D activity.”
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