EPO Releases New Benchmarking Study on Tech Transfer
A new European Patent Office study evaluates 809 technology transfer offices to boost public research commercialization.
Updated on Oct. 25, 2026 in Biotech
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The European Patent Office has released a benchmarking study and new Data Desk dashboard to analyze the performance of 809 technology transfer offices across Europe. The study highlights disparities in invention disclosures between small and large-scale offices while emphasizing the importance of moving research breakthroughs from labs to markets.
Why it matters
Successful technology transfer is essential for translating academic research into jobs, economic growth, and strategic autonomy. Because most offices are too small to maintain all necessary expertise in-house, these findings provide six priorities to strengthen capacity and incentives.
The EPO study reports that large-scale offices handle nearly 16 times more invention disclosures than their smaller counterparts. Furthermore, 40.7% of European patents owned by universities lapse within ten years, compared to 26.3% for patents owned by US universities.
The players
European Patent Office
This is the intergovernmental organization that provides a uniform application procedure for individual inventors, researchers, and companies to seek patent protection in up to 40 countries.
CNRS
The French National Centre for Scientific Research is a public research institution under the responsibility of the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research.
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
This German research organization operates dozens of institutes throughout the country and is a leading player in applied research and development.
CEA
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission is a prominent public research organization active in energy, technology, and defense.
imec
Based in Belgium, this is a world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies.
The details
The report combined patent evidence with survey data to identify gaps in capacity and expertise among the 90.5% of analyzed offices classified as small or mid-scale. Research institutions accounted for 34% of all biotechnology patent applications of European origin in 2025, a significant portion of the total innovation pipeline.
Timeline
Patent applications involving public research organizations grew from 3,200 in 2006 to 8,000 in 2025.
The European Patent Office released the study and dashboard on October 25, 2026.
The Tech Race
The study directly informs the European Patent Office's Strategic Plan 2028, which prioritizes patent efficiency and the acceleration of deep-tech commercialization. By identifying systemic weaknesses in transfer offices, the EPO is attempting to close the innovation gap between European and American research institutions.
For researchers and biotech entrepreneurs, this study highlights the specific bureaucratic and structural bottlenecks that may delay the path of a patent to market. Developers can use the EPO's new Data Desk to better understand the patenting landscape and competitive environment for public research commercialization.
The takeaway
European institutions are currently experiencing a higher patent lapse rate than their American peers, suggesting a significant need for improved commercialization support. Institutions should prioritize scaling their transfer capabilities to ensure that promising intellectual property reaches the commercial market.
Further reading
For more information on the latest innovations, visit the Biotech section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Agip-news.
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Should European universities prioritize commercializing research breakthroughs to boost economic growth and innovation?
