Patent applicants and applications; technology field (IPC)

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Technology area EPO-Patent applicants (number) EPO-Patent applications (number) EPO-Patent Applicants with foreign cooperation (number) EPO-Patent Applications with foreign cooperation (number) OCNL-Patent Patent applicants (number) OCNL-Patent Patent applications (number) OCNL-Patent Applicants with foreign cooperation (number) OCNL-Patent Applications with foreign cooperation (number)
All technology areas 565 2,660 50 205 900 1,450 10 15
A Human necessities 178 709 18 47 272 368 5 7
A1 Agriculture 55 77 5 6 112 144 2 2
A2 Foodstuffs and tobacco 31 60 2 2 41 70 0 0
A3 Personal or domestic articles 26 89 2 3 51 50 0 0
A4 Health and amusement 92 523 11 37 84 115 3 5
B Performing operations; transporting 219 420 17 19 315 473 4 4
B1 Separating and mixing 49 82 6 10 57 75 1 1
B2 Shaping 62 117 5 4 83 124 0 0
B3 Printing 8 29 0 0 8 9 0 0
B4 Transporting 143 217 10 8 202 296 4 3
B5 Micro-structural and nanotechnology 5 6 0 0 4 5 0 0
C Chemistry; metallurgy 125 342 22 43 93 150 2 3
C1 Chemistry 113 316 22 43 82 132 2 3
C2 Metallurgy 18 32 0 0 18 25 0 0
C3 Combinatorial technology . . . . . . . .
D Textiles; paper 18 25 2 2 11 11 0 0
D1 Textiles or flexible materials n.e.c. 15 19 2 2 8 9 0 0
D2 Paper 4 6 0 0 3 2 0 0
E Fixed constructions 69 121 3 35 157 187 0 0
E1 Building 63 82 2 2 149 173 0 0
E2 Earth or rock drilling and mining 7 39 1 33 15 21 0 0
F Mechanical engineering; lighting. 92 219 8 8 160 200 3 3
F1 Engines or pumps 26 33 3 3 42 57 2 2
F2 Engineering in general 44 55 5 5 52 61 1 1
F3 Lighting and heating 34 138 1 1 70 83 0 0
F4 Weapons and blasting 2 2 0 0 2 2 0 0
G Physics 122 860 13 54 152 253 1 1
G1 Physics: instruments 122 855 13 54 152 253 1 1
G2 Nucleonics 3 6 0 0 . . . .
H Electricity 87 629 16 64 101 178 5 5
Source: CBS.
Explanation of symbols

Table explanation


This table gives an overview of the number of patent applicants and patent applications at the European Patent Office (EPO) and the Netherlands Patent Office (OCNL), a department of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). Patents can be granted to enterprises, universities, institutions, private persons or other entities as long as the invention which they cover fulfils certain criteria. To obtain a patent the invention must be novel, contain an inventive step and be industrially applicable. This is assessed by a patent office like the EPO or OCNL. The patent office will grant or reject the application.

The data are broken down by the technology field the invention relates to, according to the International Patent Classification (IPC). This does not necessarily have to be the same area in which the applicant is economically active (SIC).

If a patent application relates to multiple technology fields, it is counted in full for each separate technology field. Due to this method the total number of patents for the subcategories are usually higher than the overarching category to which they belong. For example, a patent application relating to subcategories A1 and A2 counts separately for both, but is only counted once under the overarching category ‘A Human necessities’. This method of counting provides insight into how many patent applications can actually be attributed to the individual technology fields and which technology fields occur more frequently within the overarching categories.

Data available from: 2011

Status of the figures:
The figures from 2011 to 2020 are final. The figures for 2021 are revised provisional. The figures for 2022 are provisional.

Changes as of December 8, 2025:
None, this is a new table.

When will new figures be published?
Beginning of 2026 the figures for 2021 and 2022 will be updated. Mid 2026 the figures for 2021 and 2022 will be updated and new figures for 2023 will be added.

Description topics

EPO-Patent
A patent that is granted by the European Patent Office (EPO) is valid in all member countries of the EPO. However, the EPO patent must be validated at the national patent office in order to be effective in member countries.
applicants
Enterprises who applied for a patent at the European Patent Office (EPO)in the period observed.
A patent that is granted by the European Patent Office (EPO) is valid in all member countries of the EPO. However the EPO patent must be validated at the national patent office in order to be effective in member countries.
applications
Patent applications at the European Patent Office (EPO) in the period observed.
A patent that is granted by the European Patent Office (EPO) is valid in all member countries of the EPO. However the EPO patent must be validated at the national patent office in order to be effective in member countries.
Applicants with foreign cooperation
Enterprises who applied for a patent at the European Patent Office (EPO) in the period observed, where the Dutch applicant has cooperated with a foreign entity for any of its applications.
Applications with foreign cooperation
Patent applications at the European Patent Office (EPO) in the period observed, where the Dutch applicant has cooperated with a foreign entity for this specific application.
OCNL-Patent
A patent that is granted by NL Patent Office (OCNL), a division of Agency NL, is only valid in the Netherlands.
Patent applicants
Enterprises who applied for a patent at the Netherlands Patent Office (OCNL), a department of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), in the period observed.
A patent that is granted by NL Patent Office (OCNL), a division of Agency NL, is only valid in the Netherlands.

Patent applications
Patent applications at the Netherlands Patent Office (OCNL), a department of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), in the period observed.
A patent that is granted by NL Patent Office (OCNL), a division of Agency NL, is only valid in the Netherlands.
Applicants with foreign cooperation
Enterprises who applied for a patent at the Netherlands Patent Office (OCNL), a department of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), in the period observed, where the Dutch applicant has cooperated with a foreign entity for any of its applications.
Applications with foreign cooperation
Patent applications at the Netherlands Patent Office (OCNL), a department of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), in the period observed, where the Dutch applicant has cooperated with a foreign entity for this specific application.