Excellent results forItaly of patents which confirms itself as one of the most innovative European countries. In 2022 the patent applications published by the EPO (European Patent Office) have been 4.773, up 5% compared to 2021 (218 more). This is what emerges from a conducted analysis da Unioncamere e Dintec who observed that, since 2016, growth has been constant with a variation of 33% between 2015 and 2022. This last year represents the best result of the decade. L'Italy is in fifth position for inventive capacity in the Epo between i EU countries andeleventh among all the countries of the IT world;.
The patents are driven by research activities in the North-East and in the South
The growth of applications published by the EPO between 2021 and 2022 was driven by research, development and innovation activities in North-East (+6%) and in Noon (+29). In the North-East macro-area, the most dynamic regions were Friuli-Venezia Giulia (+21%) and Trentino-Alto Adige (+12%). In the South, Abruzzo (+93%), Campania (+46%) and Puglia (+14%) recorded a notable increase in patent applications. Other significant variations in the number of applications were observed in Liguria (+28%) and Umbria (+57%).
Patents: Boom of Chieti. Milan queen of innovation
Surprisingly, the province that achieved extraordinary growth last year is that of Chieti, which records 63 questions posted by the EPO (47 more than 16 in 2021). A result that made it possible to surpass the performances of Bologna (+38), Milan (+25), Bolzano and Pordenone (+22). In the long period from 2008 to 2022, Italy's European patent applications totaled 61.253; of these 10.131, almost 17%, originate in the province of Milan.
With 726 applications submitted in 2022, Milano is confirmed queen of innovation in Italy for the number of new inventions patented in Europe. The provinces of Turin and Bologna follow, both with 314 patent applications, Rome (252), Treviso (198), Vicenza (174) and Monza Brianza (172). Rome is the only city in the Centre-South to enter the Top Ten. The first ten cities, with 2.595 applications, concentrate 54% of the total applications.
Patents from the production sector are growing
About the88% of published questions (4.188) comes from companies, 5% from research institutions and universities, and the remaining 7% from private inventors. Patents from productive sector they grew by 7% compared to 2021, demonstrating a strong acceleration in terms of radical product innovation.
They are the technologies of mechanics and means of transport to still be the main areas for patent applications. In 2022, 1.910 patents were filed in these fields, 40% of the total (and up 7% compared to 2021. Compared to the previous year, patent applications on new instrumentation and control technologies also increased (+12% ) and those relating to electricity and electronics (+14%).
Within the Key Enabling Technologies (KET), technologies identified by the European Commission characterized by significant investments for the Research & Development phase which, due to their application to a large number of production activities are fundamental for the competitiveness of companies, in 2022 they have radded 21% of the total with a total of 985 publications of the EPO (+8% compared to 20219. The sector with the most applications is that of advanced manufacturing, with 752 applications, which represent over 76% of the KETs.
Green patents are also on the rise
Patent applications are also on the rise with green technologies, up 23% compared to 2021. 29% of these questions refer to those for waste management and treatment, which grew by 22% last year. The other green technologies that have shown a remarkable dynamic are those for alternative energies (+72%) and those relating to product design (+66%).
“Italy is doing well on the innovation front. Probably also as a result of the measures envisaged by the PNRR, the our businesses are accelerating. The dynamism demonstrated by Milan over the years, moreover, confirms the goodness of the choice to assign the seat of the European Patent Court to the city. It is a fair acknowledgment of the ability of all the companies and research centers in the area” declared the president of Unioncamere, Andrew Priest.
