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The European Patents Office (EPO) has just published its annual rankings: For the first time, Inserm has taken the top ranking for applicants in the pharmaceutical sector ahead of the big industrial companies and can confirm at the same time its top place as a European academic applicant in biomedical research.
As European leader in the pharmaceutical sector, Inserm submitted 104 patent applications in 2016 in this area and has therefore moved up two places since 2015 to reach the top spot. In the biotechnology sector, the organisation is in second position with 111 applications (4th position in 2015).
In total, 292 patent applications were made in the name of Inserm, which means that the Institute has kept its place as the leading European academic organisation in biomedical research.
With regard to the 2016 awards for patent applicants in France through the National Institute for the Protection of Intellectual Property, Inserm is in the top 50 leading French applicants.
“It is essential for our scientific potential to be valued and recognised internationally. That is possible due to the day- to-day investment of the Inserm Transfert teams, for the benefit of Inserm and our partners in the mix. As part of our long-term strategic vision, we want to give a chance to a maximum number of innovations emanating from our laboratories.” declares Yves Levy, CEO of Inserm.
“We have the chance of having a very varied portfolio, however we must maintain a rationale of quality patents because, apart from the variety linked to this great performance, the soundness of the patent, which involves professional expertise and confidentiality, will permit the best value in innovation and at the greatest international standards,” says Pascale Augé, CEO of the Inserm Transfert Board.
In fact, Inserm has a portfolio of some 1,550 patent families. Inserm Transfert, its private law subsidiary under a public service contract, is charged with adding value to and the transfer of knowledge from Inserm research laboratories to the industrial sector.