Max Planck research often proves remarkably useful for industry and society
According to a recent study by the European Patent Office, the Max Planck Society ranks among the top ten European research institutions with the highest number of patent applications. The French CNRS leads the field among academic patent applicants. Thirty percent of all academic patent applications originate from Germany. The study highlights the key role of public research institutions in driving innovation.
To the point
- Public research institutions contributed to nearly 63,000 European patent applications between 2001 and 2020.
- Germany ranks second with 18,276 European patent applications.
- The total number of European patent applications involving German research institutions rose from 691 in 2001 to over 1,000 in 2020 - a rise of 45 percent.
- Among the ten leading public research institutions in Europe, which accounted for almost two-thirds of all academic patents, three are based in Germany: the Fraunhofer Society (3rd place), the Max Planck Society (7th place), and the German Aerospace Centre (10th place).
The study "The Role of European Public Research in Patenting and Innovation," produced in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI), analysed patent applications across the 39 member states of the European Patent Organization. It shows that leading public research institutions from France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain contributed to nearly 63,000 European patent applications between 2001 and 2020 - representing about five percent of all applications filed by European entities.
Germany makes an above-average contribution to this total: 18,276 patent applications originated from German public research institutions such as the Fraunhofer Society and the Max Planck Society, accounting for nearly 30 percent of all European public research patents. The number of German applications rose from 691 in 2001 to more than 1,000 in 2020, increasing the share of research institution filings within all German patent applications from 3.2 percent to 4.6 percent.
Excellence in science drives innovation
In Germany, the Fraunhofer Society leads with 7,852 patents (ranked 3rd in Europe), followed by the Max Planck Society with 2,195 patents (7th in Europe) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) with 1,046 patents (10th in Europe). Together, they form the foundation of Germany's innovative strength in key research areas such as biotechnology, energy, semiconductors, and aerospace.
France leads the way in patent applications.
© EPO
"Among the most lucrative patents developed at the Max Planck Society over the past twenty years are the so-called Tuschl patents on RNA interference, which make it possible to switch off disease-causing genes and now form the basis of an entirely new class of medicines," says Christoph Hüls, Managing Director of Max Planck Innovation, the Max Planck Society's technology transfer subsidiary. Another successful example is the cancer drug Sutent®, developed by Axel Ullrich and licensed to Roche Pharma, which has generated millions in licensing revenues for the Max Planck Society.
The EPO study also shows that research-based start-ups have a strong economic impact. More than 2,800 European start-ups have filed patents with the EPO whose inventors are affiliated with European universities, public research institutions, or hospitals. Germany ranks third in Europe with 398 start-ups holding patents, 367 of which are linked to German research institutions. One example cited in the EPO study is the deep-tech start-up PreOmics from Martinsried, which emerged from a research group at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry. The founders develop innovative proteomics solutions now used worldwide in biomedical research.
"The Max Planck Society not only operates a successful IP organisation, achieving strong results in patenting and licensing, but has also actively supported entrepreneurs and start-ups for several years. This commitment is clearly reflected in the latest spin-off figures," says Dietmar Harhoff, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition and former chair of the German Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation (EFI).
