Patent applications

In 2020, a total of 1,821 patent (open definition) applications were filed in the Flemish Region, or 274 applications per million inhabitants. These are patent applications by Flemish inventors and/or applicants submitted to the European Patent Office (EPO).

The number of patents was higher in the years prior to 2008. 2008 saw the start of the financial-economic downturn, the impact of which was fully felt in 2009 with a smaller number of patent applications. Between 2009 and 2013 the number of applications remained more or less constant, after which there was an increase till 2018. There was another decrease in 2019 and 2020. However, in the latter year, the Covid-19 crisis broke out with a negative impact on the economy.

Within Belgium, the number of patents filed per million inhabitants in 2019 was highest in the Brussels Capital Region (358) and lowest in the Walloon Region (159). The Flemish Region was in between (266).

The Flemish Region was above the EU27 average of 142 patent applications per million inhabitants in 2019. In Luxembourg, the number of patent applications per million inhabitants was highest (613). Sweden (475) and Finland (405) are also at the top of the list. As far as our neighbouring countries are concerned, Germany (326) and the Netherlands (320) are doing better than Belgium and the Flemish Region. France had 167 patent applications per million inhabitants. The southern and eastern EU member states scored lowest.