Transport, energy, chemicals… France has increased its number of applications for intellectual property protection in Europe. Strengths and weaknesses.
By Heloise Pons
© European Patent Office. Photo by Nanda Gonzague
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ATWith 10,900 patent applications filed with the European Patent Office (EPO) in 2022, France marks a new record in its history. It thereby confirms its second position at European level behind Germany, and its fifth place in the world ranking of the countries of origin of the greatest number of patents.
“France is becoming a solid second in Europe in terms of innovation, observes Yann Ménière, chief economist at the EPO, who has just published the annual barometer of innovation 2022. At the same time, Germany is experiencing a drop in requests for patent filings (-4.7%). However, with its more than 24,000 patents filed in 2022, there is still a big gap to fill for France to come and compete with it. »
But you have to be wary of sleeping water. “Historically, Germany is a more industrialized country with a strong patent and innovation culture, particularly in niche industrial SMEs,” continues the doctor of economics. But for ten years, the weight of this country has been decreasing in favor of other European territories. ” In question ? The weight of the automotive and mechanical industry in the German economy, “turned upside down by a double transition to manage: that of electrification and that of digital, with the deployment of connected and intelligent cars”.
A diverse industrial landscape
On the French side, among the sectors with the highest number of patent applications to the EPO in 2022, we also find that of transport, in first place, allowing the country to climb to 4e world rank in this area, ahead of China. The strong activity of patents in France in transport is also reflected in the Top 10 of the most innovative companies in the country: Valeo (1D in France and 7e worldwide), Safran (2e), Thales (5e) and Renault (10e).
One of France’s main assets against Germany is not to concentrate all its eggs in one basket. “The French industrial landscape is quite diversified: major players work in the automotive and aeronautical sectors, but we are also healthy with Sanofi, in chemicals with Total or Air Liquide, for example”, analyzes Yann Ménière.READ ALSO Welcome to inventors paradise
Moreover, France is also investing in innovation for the energy transition. “We see fewer and fewer patents in traditional combustion engine technologies and a lot more in transitional technologies, such as batteries and electrification, notes the EPO’s chief economist. Valeo is a good example of this: it is number one in the traditional transport sector, but also in electric propulsion, it is an automotive supplier that is redeploying its R&D in a post-carbon strategy. »
Research centres: the French asset
But where France really stands out is in the number of patents filed by research organizations. “These public organizations play a major role in national innovation,” observes the economist. The CEA [Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives, NDLR], European champion in batteries and semiconductors, is the third most innovative player in the country; Inserm [Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale, NDLR] is the 7e and in 2e position in the world ranking for pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. Such a concentration is unique to France, and this is what allows it to make the difference with Switzerland, which follows it in the ranking. »
France therefore has nothing to be ashamed of its performance. Yann Ménière takes as an example a certain number of patents filed to fight against cancer. “Élodie Belnoue and Madiha Derouazi have invented a platform of therapeutic vaccines against cancer to help the immune system to know and detect cancer cells, he illustrates. With Damae Medical, Anais Barut is developing a non-invasive imaging device that can detect and monitor skin cancers without biopsy. »
In chemistry, the patent filed by chemist Claude Grison – 2022 inventor prize – and his company BioInspir, which has developed methods for decontaminating soil and water using plants, also promises to be talked about in the next years.
READ ALSOThe best French inventors are… Unfortunately, if the examples of the economic expert highlight women, where there is still a long way to go, and this, for all countries, is in parity in terms of innovation. Only one in six inventors is a woman, according to a report published by the EPO. “Promoting women in science and innovation remains a major challenge for Europe,” concludes Antonio Campinos, President of the EPO, in this report. This is key to its future sustainability and competitiveness. »