Aug 21, 2024
Excellent research and innovative structures: TU Dresden remains Germany's university with the most patents
TU Dresden maintains its top ranking as the university with the most patents in Germany. The Saxon University of Excellence defended its leading position in the current ranking of the German Economic Institute (IW) by a wide margin. The IW analyzed the number of patent applications from 2017 to 2021. TUD has filed more than 280 patents within this period.
"The study shows that TU Dresden is successful in drawing new ideas from excellent research to solve pressing questions of the future and making them available for practical use through professional transfer," says Prof. Andreas Pinkwart, Director of the TUD Excellence Center for Innovation, Transfer and Entrepreneurship. "Patents that are wisely used today are the value creation and prosperity of tomorrow. TU Dresden is stepping up its efforts in this area in order to make professional use of the opportunities from the development of ideas to their exploitation, and the Saxon state government is providing long-term support."
Behind TU Dresden, TU Munich with over 240 and RWTH Aachen University with more than 220 patent applications are ranked second and third. According to figures from the German Economic Institute, TU Dresden – like other universities in eastern Germany – scores highly in terms of efficiency. In relation to the number of students, Saxon and Thuringian universities register by far the most patents.
Research strength and support from the start: Patent culture at TU Dresden
Key reason for the success is TU Dresden's research strength, especially in the technical and natural sciences, where researchers work on the big questions of our time and make valuable contributions to solving global issues, for example in the fields of microelectronics, energy technology, artificial intelligence or medicine. Inventions and patents are also historically anchored in TU Dresden's culture. This includes protecting research results at an early stage by filing patents and bringing them to application along a strong innovation chain. To this end, TUD has systematically bundled its innovation activities under the umbrella of the TUD|excite Center of Excellence.
Researchers receive extensive support from experienced patents and transfer experts. They conduct research worldwide, advise on the entire process of invention disclosures and patents, and provide long-term support for the researchers. The topic is particularly relevant for founders. Therefore, TUD|excite collaborates with dresden|exists and its own incubators and accelerators, such as the new Z-IP program and the new excite|LAB, to support the utilization of patents or their registration as part of spin-off projects in a targeted manner.
Alongside research and teaching, knowledge and technology transfer is one of the central tasks of universities. Research results should be transferred into application so that scientific discoveries can serve the welfare of society and benefit the economy. However, the path from scientific knowledge to the finished product or process is a long one. Patents are often important intermediate steps in this process and are therefore a central part of TU Dresden's innovation strategy.