Switzerland filed 956 requests for patents per million people compared to 884 the previous year.
Keystone
Switzerland takes the top spot in total patent filings per capita to the European Patent Office (EPO). Among Swiss companies, pharmaceutical company Roche leads the number of patent filings for the fourth year in a row while industrial and robotics company ABB recorded the fastest growth.
The EPO received 7,927 applications from the Alpine nation in 2018 – a 7.8% increase from 2017 and the highest level recorded since 2010 according to the agency’s annual report.
This represents 956 requests for patents per million people compared to 884 for the previous year. This was followed by the Netherlands with 416 applications per million inhabitants and Denmark with 411.
In terms of total applications, the United States is the most active with 25% of the total of 174,317 applications followed by Germany (15%) and Japan (13%). Switzerland and China both ranked 5th with 5% of total applications. While China’s patent filings increased by 8.8%, this was the country’s slowest growth in the last five years.
The measurement systems sector accounts for the largest share of patent applications with 10%, followed by medical technologies (9%).
Swiss scene
As for Swiss companies, Roche is the reigning champion for the fourth year in a row with a 1.2% increase to 651 patent filings in 2018. However, robotics and automation specialist ABB recorded a much higher increase in the number of patents (12.4%) with 571. Nestlé came in third among Swiss companies but filed 15.3% less patents than 2017.
Globally, Siemens led corporate filings with nearly 2,500 patents with Huawei coming in a close second. Roche came in 24th globally.
Among universities, the Federal Institutes of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ) and Lausanne (EPFL) took 13th and 14th place respectively.
More
More
Swiss remain top of world innovation ranking
This content was published on
Switzerland is the leading nation for innovation for the seventh year in a row, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Zurich laboratory finds intestinal bacteria in coffee machines
This content was published on
Last year, the Zurich Cantonal Laboratory found defects in one in four samples of milk drinks from coffee machines. Too many intestinal bacteria were found in a number of samples.
SWISS Belgrade-Zurich flight forced to land in Germany
This content was published on
Swiss flight LX1413 from Belgrade to Zurich had to make an unscheduled landing today in Friedrichshafen, southern Germany.
New Swiss 3D simulation tool offers better landslide forecasting
This content was published on
A new 3D simulation tool is enabling much more accurate avalanche forecasts. The model, which proved its worth during the landslides in Brienz (GR) and Blatten (VS), could lead to more effective management of alpine risks.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
The pharma holy grail: drugs for you, designed by you
This content was published on
In the age of sensors, wearables, and artificial intelligence (AI), almost everything can be customised for the individual.
Switzerland ranked highly for international patents in 2017
This content was published on
Switzerland was the eighth biggest source of international patent applications last year, says the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.