The European Patent Office (EPO) publishes a ranking annually. Southeast Brabant once again underscores its international position as a technological frontrunner. The Eindhoven region is among the European elite when it comes to patent applications and ranks third among European urban regions in the most recent ranking. Only Munich and Paris recorded more applications.
The figures show the weight of Brainport within the Dutch innovation system. More than half of all Dutch patent applications originate from the Brainport region. Of the more than 7,000 applications filed by the Netherlands last year, over 3,600 came from North Brabant. This places Brainport among the absolute top in European comparisons, and the region is also prominently represented globally.
Eindhoven R&D hub of the Netherlands
An important explanation lies in the high concentration of R&D activities in and around Eindhoven. With 1,289 applications, Philips is the largest Dutch applicant and increased the number of applications compared to 2024. Partly due to this, medical technology is one of the most important domains within Dutch patent applications.
Signify is also making a substantial contribution: the company submitted 784 applications and is among the global leaders. Together with other strong players such as ASML and NXP, these companies dominate the top 10 of Dutch applicants. TNO is also in the Dutch top 10.
Record number of patent applications
Globally, the European Patent Office reached a record last year with nearly 202,000 patent applications. The Netherlands ranks high in this regard: after Germany and France, the Netherlands is among the EU countries with the most applications and also ranks among the international top per capita. At the same time, there was a slight decrease in the total number of applications in the Netherlands (-0.7%), comparable to developments in several other traditional frontrunners.
Patent applications are often seen as an indicator of innovative capacity: they show the extent to which organizations convert new knowledge into protected applications and market opportunities.
Leo Warmerdam, executive director, Holland High Tech:
We see in these developments a clear confirmation of the strong and sustained Dutch position in (key) enabling technologies and high-tech innovation – and the importance of collaboration between companies, knowledge institutions, and the government to further build on that lead.