The EPO has published five scientific and economic reports providing new insights into the patent system, addressing such diverse topics as the impact of university innovation on local businesses in European regions, the analysis of standard-essential patents using semantic comparison, the digital transformation of the automotive industry following the development of green technologies using trajectories, and the enrichment of the EPO’s public database with linked open data.

The research projects were initially awarded in 2018 under the EPO’s Academic Research Programme (ARP). The resulting reports have been reviewed by renowned IP experts and scholars, including at the last annual ARP workshop 19-20 January 2021 (held virtually) attended by current and former grant recipients, the Scientific Committee, IP researchers, as well as experts from EUIPO and the OECD. To read the EPO’s press release in full and to access the reports, click here.