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from left to right – front row: Lydia Sanmartí-Vila, Silvia Carrasco, Nuria Gomez, Sergi Ferrando; back row: Alastair Cunningham, Alba Rosado, Sol Royo, Maria Martí and Federica Beduini
from left to right – front row: Lydia Sanmartí-Vila, Silvia Carrasco, Nuria Gomez, Sergi Ferrando; back row: Alastair Cunningham, Alba Rosado, Sol Royo, Maria Martí and Federica Beduini

ICFO at the top in patent creation

The institute has been ranked in the top 10 entities that have submitted the most patents in the country in 2018.

March 18, 2019
In the past decades, it has been noticeably clear that technology and knowledge are important factors for economic growth and development of a country. Since the creation of the first mechanism to protect inventions in the 15th century, the patent system has evolved in such a way to promote innovation and encourage economic development. Results published recently by the European Patent Office (EPO) have proven that Spain is on the right track, showing an increase of more than 6% in patent registration in 2018 compared to 2017.

Among the companies and institutions that registered the highest number of patents in 2018, the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) has come out in first place with 61 applications, the pharmaceutical company Esteve (33), the Tecnalia Research & Innovation Foundation and the University of Barcelona, both with 17, Repsol (16), Seat and Telefónica with 14 each, the Autonomous University of Barcelona and ICFO, both with 13.

ICFO’s Knowledge and Technology Transfer (KTT) team plays a key role in connecting industry with exciting developments in ICFO laboratories. One of ICFO’s main goals is to maximize business opportunities arising from research being carried out at the Institute and from collaborations with industries, investors and health-care allies. With experience in both business and research, the team develops business plans that are tailored to the unique needs of each company and aligned with the researched capabilities of ICFO.

As Dr. Silvia Carrasco, director of the Knowledge and Technology Transfer Unit, comments “Building strong patent portfolios around ICFO’s innovations is a key aspect in our efforts to bring the technologies developed by ICFOnians all the way from the labs towards products that can improve people’s lives.”

ICFO staff