Patent applicants and applications; technology field (CPC)

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Technology area Periods 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 2017 905 4,260 50 365 1,100 1,665 10 10
2018 900 4,195 80 365 1,075 1,635 15 15
2019 935 4,270 75 380 1,065 1,720 15 15
2020 980 4,255 85 485 1,105 1,645 20 20
2021 975 4,310 70 515 1,100 1,635 20 15
2022** 915 4,565 75 525 900 1,450 10 15
2023* . . . . 950 1,470 20 20
A Human necessities 2017 374 1,487 26 156 275 361 5 5
2018 385 1,514 32 151 277 381 4 5
2019 373 1,387 30 118 325 428 4 4
2020 380 1,386 33 161 444 559 6 7
2021 392 1,427 26 159 403 518 5 5
2022** 319 1,359 30 134 276 377 5 7
2023* . . . . 289 385 8 9
A1 Agriculture 2017 90 160 5 11 73 105 2 1
2018 94 160 7 13 90 127 0 0
2019 96 172 4 6 102 142 2 2
2020 92 183 6 16 129 170 3 4
2021 124 203 4 14 138 182 2 2
2022** 95 160 6 9 110 142 2 2
2023* . . . . 86 120 0 0
A2 Foodstuffs and tobacco 2017 69 201 4 23 34 45 0 0
2018 64 235 5 28 29 40 0 0
2019 62 207 6 9 40 58 1 1
2020 61 181 7 15 54 73 0 0
2021 81 212 9 16 58 72 0 0
2022** 59 203 5 11 39 71 0 0
2023* . . . . 33 52 1 1
A3 Personal or domestic articles 2017 65 163 5 8 63 72 3 4
2018 69 179 6 7 65 76 0 0
2019 57 170 2 9 71 74 0 0
2020 66 177 2 7 113 123 0 0
2021 55 152 2 8 86 93 0 0
2022** 49 139 2 3 53 52 0 0
2023* . . . . 71 79 1 1
A4 Health and amusement 2017 218 1,078 21 124 131 162 1 2
2018 221 1,055 24 121 122 158 4 5
2019 215 950 25 101 144 179 2 2
2020 222 943 22 130 190 230 3 3
2021 194 996 16 138 157 201 4 4
2022** 169 962 22 121 91 126 3 5
2023* . . . . 119 149 6 7
B Performing operations; transporting 2017 338 895 17 39 324 459 4 3
2018 357 867 23 31 333 461 2 2
2019 393 939 29 50 325 488 3 3
2020 391 918 26 62 393 556 3 3
2021 372 829 27 64 390 569 6 6
2022** 350 816 24 48 323 499 4 4
2023* . . . . 337 517 7 6
B1 Separating and mixing 2017 98 218 6 8 53 59 0 0
2018 103 232 8 9 76 93 0 0
2019 133 277 12 28 81 88 0 0
2020 117 247 10 20 88 99 0 0
2021 121 225 15 27 96 113 2 2
2022** 102 230 13 31 64 84 1 1
2023* . . . . 85 116 2 2
B2 Shaping 2017 104 294 6 7 90 116 3 2
2018 110 277 6 7 88 115 0 0
2019 128 309 8 8 93 134 1 1
2020 135 243 12 18 100 121 1 1
2021 120 259 6 10 113 152 1 1
2022** 118 250 7 10 90 133 0 0
2023* . . . . 90 130 3 2
B3 Printing 2017 12 64 0 0 15 16 0 0
2018 20 62 1 2 15 16 0 0
2019 17 43 0 0 17 25 0 0
2020 8 28 1 1 13 17 0 0
2021 12 23 0 0 9 15 0 0
2022** 11 37 0 0 8 10 0 0
2023* . . . . 9 10 0 0
B4 Transporting 2017 211 384 8 22 217 304 1 1
2018 201 346 11 13 197 271 2 2
2019 219 393 15 20 195 292 2 2
2020 218 460 15 31 237 349 3 3
2021 193 391 12 31 233 340 2 2
2022** 206 363 12 10 205 309 4 3
2023* . . . . 198 296 2 2
B5 Micro-structural and nanotechnology 2017 14 19 4 4 6 8 0 0
2018 17 24 1 2 1 1 0 0
2019 19 23 3 3 9 8 0 0
2020 13 15 0 0 3 4 0 0
2021 12 18 1 1 3 8 1 1
2022** 7 9 0 0 3 6 0 0
2023* . . . . 3 8 0 0
C Chemistry; metallurgy 2017 194 762 21 96 78 92 0 0
2018 197 828 34 132 84 108 1 1
2019 235 853 36 92 103 138 5 3
2020 236 894 35 142 104 131 4 4
2021 228 874 32 177 118 153 2 2
2022** 227 904 44 164 99 160 2 3
2023* . . . . 105 157 4 4
C1 Chemistry 2017 189 737 21 96 73 86 0 0
2018 186 782 33 131 74 93 1 1
2019 224 803 33 89 94 120 5 3
2020 219 841 33 138 94 118 4 4
2021 215 831 30 175 108 143 2 2
2022** 212 849 44 163 87 141 2 3
2023* . . . . 92 136 4 4
C2 Metallurgy 2017 17 39 0 0 7 8 0 0
2018 29 57 2 2 15 19 0 0
2019 28 62 4 4 17 22 0 0
2020 35 65 3 5 13 15 0 0
2021 28 56 4 5 15 16 0 0
2022** 31 80 2 12 20 29 1 1
2023* . . . . 22 26 1 1
C3 Combinatorial technology 2017 2 1 0 0 . . . .
2018 . . . . . . . .
2019 3 3 0 0 . . . .
2020 2 2 1 1 . . . .
2021 . . . . . . . .
2022** . . . . . . . .
2023* . . . . . . . .
D Textiles; paper 2017 37 78 3 14 22 25 0 0
2018 25 41 5 7 9 10 0 0
2019 25 52 4 10 14 22 0 0
2020 21 35 1 2 11 11 0 0
2021 28 42 1 7 18 21 1 1
2022** 32 55 2 7 12 12 0 0
2023* . . . . 15 20 0 0
D1 Textiles or flexible materials n.e.c. 2017 26 67 3 14 15 19 0 0
2018 22 37 4 5 8 8 0 0
2019 16 41 3 9 10 14 0 0
2020 17 28 1 2 10 9 0 0
2021 26 38 1 7 13 15 0 0
2022** 23 41 2 6 9 10 0 0
2023* . . . . 14 18 0 0
D2 Paper 2017 15 14 0 0 8 7 0 0
2018 6 6 2 2 1 2 0 0
2019 9 11 1 1 5 8 0 0
2020 6 7 0 0 1 2 0 0
2021 3 4 0 0 5 6 1 1
2022** 12 15 1 1 3 2 0 0
2023* . . . . 1 2 0 0
E Fixed constructions 2017 127 222 3 47 128 173 3 2
2018 112 180 4 30 133 163 0 0
2019 107 227 3 73 143 194 1 2
2020 123 252 2 87 167 200 2 2
2021 128 279 7 107 172 213 4 2
2022** 108 274 3 117 156 187 0 0
2023* . . . . 162 198 0 0
E1 Building 2017 120 157 2 3 123 159 3 2
2018 107 134 3 3 127 151 0 0
2019 97 125 2 3 134 167 1 2
2020 114 148 2 2 160 187 2 2
2021 118 152 6 3 165 204 4 2
2022** 97 137 2 2 148 175 0 0
2023* . . . . 157 185 0 0
E2 Earth or rock drilling and mining 2017 14 71 1 44 14 23 0 0
2018 9 49 1 27 11 14 0 0
2019 15 104 1 70 14 30 0 0
2020 13 107 1 86 10 14 0 0
2021 14 129 1 104 11 11 0 0
2022** 14 141 1 115 12 16 0 0
2023* . . . . 9 16 0 0
F Mechanical engineering; lighting. 2017 159 395 3 10 141 195 1 1
2018 156 317 12 13 151 190 5 3
2019 164 388 9 14 160 195 3 5
2020 161 347 13 23 174 204 3 3
2021 165 402 11 18 175 234 0 0
2022** 157 425 11 20 167 207 3 3
2023* . . . . 153 185 2 2
F1 Engines or pumps 2017 50 73 1 3 37 45 0 0
2018 30 48 1 2 32 49 0 0
2019 35 50 1 1 34 36 0 0
2020 34 50 3 10 37 52 0 0
2021 43 73 3 7 37 63 0 0
2022** 44 73 5 10 44 59 2 2
2023* . . . . 38 52 0 0
F2 Engineering in general 2017 62 112 2 6 59 95 1 1
2018 69 96 4 6 68 84 2 2
2019 74 120 5 8 73 85 3 5
2020 74 99 8 10 64 73 1 1
2021 77 103 4 5 75 92 0 0
2022** 67 104 5 9 51 59 1 1
2023* . . . . 42 49 0 0
F3 Lighting and heating 2017 70 220 1 1 58 62 0 0
2018 78 183 8 5 66 65 4 2
2019 83 233 4 5 70 83 0 0
2020 70 207 4 4 77 81 2 2
2021 72 239 7 7 77 87 0 0
2022** 71 260 2 2 75 89 0 0
2023* . . . . 87 92 2 2
F4 Weapons and blasting 2017 6 9 0 0 5 4 0 0
2018 5 5 1 1 4 4 0 0
2019 5 6 2 2 . . . .
2020 5 5 1 1 5 5 0 0
2021 2 3 0 0 2 3 0 0
2022** 2 3 0 0 2 2 0 0
2023* . . . . 3 3 0 0
G Physics 2017 237 1,518 21 98 158 286 0 0
2018 238 1,452 27 99 159 301 5 4
2019 239 1,446 24 120 152 280 3 4
2020 244 1,341 33 141 193 276 3 4
2021 245 1,359 22 143 186 258 3 3
2022** 217 1,449 24 159 168 278 2 2
2023* . . . . 181 269 2 2
G1 Physics: instruments 2017 236 1,510 21 97 156 284 0 0
2018 237 1,445 26 97 159 300 5 4
2019 235 1,435 24 120 152 279 3 4
2020 242 1,335 33 141 192 275 3 4
2021 244 1,355 22 143 186 258 3 3
2022** 215 1,441 24 159 168 278 2 2
2023* . . . . 180 267 2 2
G2 Nucleonics 2017 4 16 1 1 3 3 0 0
2018 4 14 1 2 2 3 0 0
2019 7 17 2 2 3 3 0 0
2020 6 11 1 1 3 3 0 0
2021 5 8 1 1 1 1 0 0
2022** 5 10 0 0 . . . .
2023* . . . . 2 2 0 0
H Electricity 2017 164 991 14 53 115 199 0 0
2018 162 958 17 58 112 200 4 4
2019 158 930 16 66 124 204 3 3
2020 166 961 18 61 139 213 6 5
2021 156 945 16 61 133 196 4 4
2022** 146 986 23 75 113 198 5 5
2023* . . . . 136 199 3 3
Y New/cross-sectional developments 2017 169 414 7 10 160 197 1 1
2018 185 403 10 17 170 208 1 1
2019 186 415 15 20 177 211 1 1
2020 202 493 16 37 166 213 5 4
2021 169 341 14 30 100 138 2 2
2022** 105 210 6 13 61 84 2 2
2023* . . . . 68 90 2 2
Y1 Mitigation against climate change 2017 165 398 6 9 158 194 1 1
2018 182 395 10 17 169 207 1 1
2019 183 411 14 19 175 209 0 0
2020 200 490 16 37 164 211 5 4
2021 168 340 14 30 100 138 2 2
2022** 105 210 6 13 61 84 2 2
2023* . . . . 68 90 2 2
Y2 Other cross-sectional developments 2017 15 20 1 1 6 6 0 0
2018 13 15 2 2 3 3 0 0
2019 7 7 1 1 3 3 1 1
2020 9 9 1 1 6 6 0 0
2021 2 2 0 0 . . . .
2022** 1 1 0 0 . . . .
2023* . . . . . . . .
Unknown 2017 8 8 4 4 562 638 2 2
2018 2 2 0 0 532 590 2 2
2019 18 32 8 12 400 540 4 4
2020 . . . . 10 88 0 0
2021 . . . . 2 4 0 0
2022** . . . . . . . .
2023* . . . . . . . .
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 Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC). 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 2021 are final. The figures for 2022 are revised provisional. The figures for 2023 are provisional.

Changes as of August 3, 2026:
The figures for 2021 and 2022 have been adjusted and the provisional figures for 2023 have been added.

Changes as of February 27, 2026:
Provisional figures for 2021 and 2022 have been updated.

When will new figures be published?
Beginning of 2027 the figures for 2022 and 2023 will be updated. Mid 2027 the figures for 2022 and 2023 will be updated and new figures for 2024 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.