A report in Professional Engineering says that, according to the ‘Patent Index 2019’ report by the European Patent Office (EPO), patent applications originating in the UK rose by 6.9% to 6,156 in 2019 (after an increase of 8.2% the previous year).

Rolls-Royce (www.rolls-royce.com) was the top British applicant (filing 494 patent applications), followed by consumer-focused companies.

A newcomer to the top 20 list of ‘UK filers’ — with 26 applications — was Cambridge Enterprise Ltd, the University of Cambridge’s technology transfer entity (helping students and staff to commercialise their inventions), while the consumer goods sector was responsible for most applications.

Other sectors generating large volumes included computer technology — particularly AI, machine learning and data processing — and medical technology.

Karl Barnfather, chairman of European intellectual property firm Withers & Rogers, which described the annual increase as ‘significant’, said: “The UK has long been respected for its diverse and high-quality R&D activities, and there is once more evidence of strong growth in this year’s patent-filing data from the EPO.

"The volume of European patent applications originating from the UK has increased by more than 20% since 2015 — clear evidence of sustained impetus and investment.”