Catalonia leads patent applications in Spain

BarcelonaCatalan companies and inventors filed 724 patent applications with the European Patent Office (EPO) in 2024, according to the 2024 Patent Index published this Tuesday. Although the Principality experienced a slight decrease of 1% compared to the previous year, it continued to lead the ranking, representing 33% of the state's total, followed by the Community of Madrid, with 413 applications, and the Basque Country, with 326, with 244. Thus, the two cities are among the 50 European cities with the most European patent applications. San Sebastián remains in the top 3, with 81 applications. At the provincial level, Barcelona once again leads the number of applications, with 643, compared to Girona, with 42 (representing a 55.5% increase compared to the 27 the previous year), Tarragona, with 23, and Lleida, with 16.

Spanish companies and inventors filed 3% more European applications in 2024, with a total of 2,192, and over the last decade they have recorded the highest increase in annual European patent applications among the most active EPO countries (2). Since 2015, the growth rate has reached 44%, reflecting the commitment to innovation and technological development.

Globally, companies and inventors from around the world filed a total of 199,264 patent applications with the EPO in 2024, in line with the previous year (199,452 applications, -0.1%) and after three years of significant growth. Patent applications from Europe, which include all 39 EPO member states, increased by 0.3%, while those from outside Europe decreased slightly (-0.4%). "European inventors filed more patent applications last year, demonstrating their technological prowess and continued investment in R&D," said EPO President António Campinos.

Catalonia: Pharmacy and Biotechnology

Catalonia maintains its strong position in innovation: it ranks 18th among EU regions in European patent applications. Specifically, in Catalonia, the sector with the most patent applications was pharmaceuticals, followed by medical technology and biotechnology. In Madrid, the pharmaceutical sector also led the way, but transport came in second, followed by biotechnology. In the Basque Country, the majority of applications came from the machinery, appliances, and electrical energy sector, with transport in second place and civil engineering in third. These figures reflect the industrial and scientific specialties of each region, highlighting their strengths in different areas of innovation.

The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) remains the leading applicant for patents from Spain at the EPO. In 2024, the universities and public research centers with the most patent applications collectively filed more than 100 applications. Among private companies, Amadeus was the company with the most applications, filing 43 European patents, followed by the Tecnalia Research & Innovation Foundation (24) and Telefónica (21). Other notable companies include Autotech Engineering (21 applications) and two newcomers to the ranking: Madrid-based Horse Powertrain Solutions (19), which develops low-emission internal combustion engines and hybrid systems, and Catalonia-based Ficosa Automotive (17).