Paderborn University has achieved a very good position in a worldwide ranking of patent applications in the higher education sector published by the German Economic Institute (IW). In a global comparison of 1,767 patent-active universities, it occupies 338th place. The years 2017 to 2021 were analysed, during which Paderborn University mainly filed international patent applications in the fields of circuit technology and mechanical engineering.
Successful transfer is an important pillar
Measured by its size, Paderborn University is actually one of the most successful universities in North Rhine-Westphalia in the ranking: in relation to the number of students and employees, it is in second place. "Our excellent result in this ranking shows how successfully we transfer research results into innovative applications," emphasises Prof. Dr. René Fahr, Vice President for Knowledge and Technology Transfer at Paderborn University. "Technology transfer is an important pillar of our university. Our patent activities support the development of marketable technologies and create the basis for successful partnerships with industry."
Bridging the gap between industry and science is sponsored by the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of Economic Affairs. The "NRW Hochschul-IP" (Intellectual Property, formerly "NRW-Patentverbund") network, consisting of 28 NRW universities and PROvendis GmbH, plays a central role here. Together, innovation potential is utilised and patent strategies are developed so that knowledge and technology can be successfully transferred to society.
About the IW patent ranking
The ranking results are collected using the IW patent database. All universities and their affiliated institutions that have been patent-active at least once since 1994 are recorded there. International patent applications that seek protection in several countries are analysed. Overall, the ranking is dominated by the USA. The winner is the state-run University of California with its campus in Los Angeles. The German university with the most patents is the Technical University of Munich in 20th place.
