Thuringia recorded 4.2 patent applications per 1,000 students between 2018 and 2022, placing it second behind Saxony (5.4). The German average is 2. In the ranking of individual universities, the Technical University of Ilmenau made a significant leap: with 18 applications, it moved into second place, having previously received around 12 patents. Hannover Medical School followed with 13 applications.
Almost one in three university patents is developed in cooperation with partners – compared to only about one in twenty for other patent applicants in Germany. Large German corporations are particularly frequently involved, participating in more than a third of all university collaborations. "Those who file a patent today often launch a new product tomorrow. For companies, universities are therefore important incubators of ideas," says IW expert Oliver Koppel.
