Key achievements: Driver 4
Partnerships
Partnerships are central to the EPO’s mission of delivering a high-quality, accessible and future-proof patent system. In 2025, the Office further deepened its collaboration with European and international partners, strengthening the European Patent Network, advancing digital and legal harmonisation and extending the global reach of the European patent system. These efforts reinforced Europe’s innovation ecosystem, supported users across the patent lifecycle and contributed to competitiveness, legal certainty and skills development.
- Strengthen European co-operation
At the heart of the European patent system lies the European Patent Network (EPN) – a partnership that continued to grow stronger in 2025 through closer collaboration, shared expertise and targeted support initiatives.
A highlight for the EPN was the 19th Annual Meeting on Co-operation, held in Reykjavík in June. The meeting brought together representatives of the EPO’s 39 member states, the European Innovation Council, start-ups and investors to discuss the future of innovation and IP-backed financing in Europe. Participants explored how the strengths of the EPN could help advance the recommendations of the Draghi and Letta reports, particularly in enabling technology start-ups to scale and in enhancing Europe’s competitiveness. For the first time, the gathering also featured a standalone Young Inventors Prize ceremony, celebrating emerging innovators shaping a more sustainable future.
Figure 12 – EPO’s 19th Annual Meeting on Co-operation with member states in Reykjavik
Alongside this strategic dialogue, preparations for the accession to the EPC of two new member states progressed steadily, leading to the Republic of Moldova becoming the 40th contracting state on 1 June 2026. The EPO is ready to welcome Bosnia and Herzegovina into the EPC community once it has taken the necessary internal steps. Towards the end of 2025, also Georgia formally expressed its interest in acceding to the Convention, pointing to further momentum ahead.
In terms of strengthening co-operation within the EPN, a major step forward in 2025 was the conclusion of new Bilateral Co‑operation Agreements (BCAs) with all 39 member states – providing a structured and modern framework for joint activities under the SP2028 co‑operation catalogue. These agreements ensure continuity for long‑standing initiatives while also enabling the launch of new ones. One such example was the pilot project to increase search and examination capacity at national patent offices. The project allows national offices to draw on the expertise of recently retired EPO examiners to address temporary capacity gaps. Throughout 2025, the scheme received strong interest, leading to expansion in 2026.
Search co-operation also advanced, with new agreements entering into force with Portugal, Ireland and Montenegro, broadening participation in the EPN’s work-sharing framework. These agreements allow national offices to draw on EPO search expertise, enhancing quality for applicants. Complementing this, other co‑operation instruments such as the seconded national expert (SNE) programme and the placement of EPO Young Professionals in national patent offices continued to strengthen capacity across the network, fostering valuable knowledge exchange and closer operational ties.
Figure 13 – Member states currently covered by a working agreement on search co-operation
Work on harmonising patent procedures across the EPN reached a milestone in 2025: the second cycle of the convergence of practices programme concluded its work in December, with the final pair of common practices subsequently adopted by the Administrative Council in early 2026. The conclusion of this second cycle represents an important step towards greater alignment of practices and enhanced legal certainty for users across Europe, and is supported by the convergence of practices dashboard enhancing transparency on the implementation status of these practices.
Alongside this work, the EPO continued to drive substantive patent law harmonisation (SPLH) at European and international level. A European case law study on prior user rights was completed in 2025 and fed into discussions of the B+ Working Group, contributing to efforts to build a coherent and balanced European position. These initiatives collectively help create a more predictable, efficient and user‑friendly patent system for innovators across the continent.
To provide transparency on initiatives to support European SMEs and micro-entities, the EPO published a new fee support scheme insights which shows how much money applicants are already saving as a result of the EPO’s fee reduction schemes. These have delivered savings totalling €28 million to smaller applicants since 2024, of which €11 million related to the targeted micro-entity support scheme introduced at that time. In parallel, the EPO launched a new Fee Assistant tool to support applicants, especially those who are smaller or new to the system, in taking advantage of the support measures. This interactive tool helps applicants assess what fees will be due at the first stages of the PGP, and which fee reductions they may be eligible for.
Figure 14 – SP2028 European co-operation pipeline
- Enhance IT co-operation
The IT cooperation pipeline serves to advance the digital transformation of the European Patent Network through close collaboration with national patent offices and other stakeholders. 2025 brought further consolidation of services, decommissioning of legacy systems as well as the launch of the Digital Toolkit and various AI-enabled solutions.
- Delivery of an upgraded version of Front Office and Implementation of Front Office 3.0 in the member states: The upgrade introduced usability, accessibility, administrative and functional enhancements, including features designed to ensure equitable access for users with disabilities. The first national roll‑out of this upgrade is planned for early 2026.
- Further development of the Single Access Portal (SAP): The SAP continued to evolve with the addition of new services, including support for the operation of the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) scheme and the Technology Intelligence Platform. The introduction of mandatory multi‑factor authentication further enhanced security.
- Legal Interactive Platform in production: The Legal Interactive Platform, an AI‑based conversational tool supporting access to national patent law and procedures, was successfully launched in Italy and Ireland. This marked the first major new deliverable of the IT co-operation programme under SP2028. It will be progressively rolled out to further interested member states in 2026.
- Deployment of Text Categoriser and Machine Translation Digital Toolkit (DTK) bricks: The first bricks of the Digital Toolkit21 – the Text Categoriser and the Machine Translation – were deployed and made available for testing by pilot national offices. The Text Categoriser uses AI to find suitable CPC terms directly from text input while the Machine Translation brick provides automated translations adapted to patent-related terminology. Several member states have expressed interest in piloting these services, with early adopters preparing for production deployment in 2026.
- Full deployment of ANSERA-based SEARCH and Decommissioning of EPOQUE Net: The adoption of ANSERA-based SEARCH (AbS) was completed in 2025. More than 2 500 examiners are actively using the system and AbS has been made available to over 40 national patent offices. This transition has supported evolving search practices, with a focus on interoperability, data quality and efficiency, and has allowed decommissioning of EPOQUE Net after more than 30 years of service.
- Decommissioning of eOLF: The successful transition of national patent offices to Front Office, or alternative local online filing solutions, rendered the eOLF obsolete. The end of support for locally deployed eOLF solutions contributes to reduced maintenance effort, increased efficiency and a more coherent filing ecosystem across EPN offices.
Finally, 2025 further confirmed the Office's leadership among international organisations in data protection. The European Commission adopted the Adequacy Decision for the EPO, recognising its data protection framework as providing an equivalent level of protection to the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This is a milestone and saw the EPO become the first international organisation to receive such recognition, underscoring the Office's role in setting high standards for data protection in the international public sector. This decision will also facilitate cooperation and data flow with EU member states, especially relevant for IT cooperation projects.
Figure 15 – SP2028 IT co-operation pipeline
21 The DTK is designed as a flexible and scalable set of building blocks supporting both front‑ and back‑office systems, with a strong emphasis on enabling an end‑to‑end digital workflow from filing through to publication.
- International co-operation, legal developments and the Unitary Patent
International co-operation: projecting the European patent system beyond our borders
Following strong progress in 2024, validation remained a cornerstone of the EPO’s international co-operation efforts in 2025, extending the global reach of the European patent system and supporting innovation-led growth. 2025 marked the tenth anniversary of the very first validation agreement with the Kingdom of Morocco, which has contributed to strengthening national IP capacity including through improved IT infrastructure, examiner training and legal harmonisation.
A consolidated validation policy paper was adopted by the Administrative Council, representing the first comprehensive revision of the framework since 1999. The updated policy modernises the assessment of potential partners, introduces clearer indicators and preserves key flexibilities, including tailored scopes and the existing fee-sharing model. Together, these elements help maintain the system's attractiveness while ensuring cost neutrality and effective support for partner offices.
Meanwhile, the validation agreement with the Lao People’s Democratic Republic entered into force, extending the coverage of European patents in Southeast Asia. Technical co-operation also continued with the seven existing validation offices – Morocco, Tunisia, the Republic of Moldova, Cambodia, Georgia, Laos and Costa Rica – as well as with the 13 offices participating in reinforced partnerships.
Interest in the validation system continued to grow. Burundi, El Salvador and São Tomé and Príncipe signalled their intention to initiate validation negotiations. Engagement with Angola progressed further, leading to a draft validation agreement, which the Administrative Council authorised the EPO to sign in March 2026. Taken together, these developments reflect the sustained attractiveness of the EPO’s validation model as a practical and trusted pathway to high-quality patent protection beyond Europe.
Beyond validation, international co-operation was further strengthened through continued collaboration on patent classification. In 2025, the CPC – the EPO’s classification system co-owned with the USPTO – extended its international footprint with France joining the CPC community, bringing participation to 39 IP offices and organisations worldwide. Co-operation with partner offices also remained active, including the renewal of bilateral CPC arrangements with key partners such as CNIPA and IP Australia.
Multilateral co-operation advanced through the EPO’s engagement in the IP5 and Trilateral frameworks. The 18th IP5 Heads of Office meeting, hosted by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) in Tianjin, focused on promoting the effective use and commercialisation of IP, advancing digital transformation and strengthening the application of AI in patent office operations. Offices and user groups highlighted the importance of user-centred services and steady, practical progress on shared initiatives such as Global Dossier and Global Assignment.
Figure 16 - Co-operation with our IP5 partners in Tianjin, China
In parallel, the EPO deepened its engagement within Trilateral co-operation with the JPO and USPTO. Discussion at the 43rd Trilateral Conference, held in October at the USPTO in Alexandria, centred on improving patent quality and operational efficiency through advanced IT and AI-driven tools, as well as on aligning approaches to emerging technologies. Looking ahead, the partners agreed to strengthen collaboration on AI through the establishment of a Trilateral AI Working Group, which will report its outcomes at the 44th Conference, to be hosted by the EPO at its new Vienna office.
International co-operation also continued in the context of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). Since December 2020, the EPO has acted as an International Searching Authority (ISA) for nationals and residents of the People’s Republic of China filing PCT applications in English with CNIPA. In 2025, the EPO and CNIPA agreed to extend this successful pilot for a further five years, until 30 November 2031, confirming its long-term value for both offices and users. As long-standing partners, the EPO and IP Australia (IPA) announced a two-year pilot under which Australian users may also choose to have the EPO carry out their international searches.
Finally, in December 2025, the EPO initiated the process toward its reappointment as PCT Authority for the period 2028-2037. It submitted all formal application documents to WIPO, including the certification of compliance with the new PCT Minimum Documentation requirements. The reappointment process is expected to conclude in the course of 2026.
Legal developments: toward certainty, accessibility and digitalisation
A clear, consistent and predictable legal framework not only facilitates smoother operations for innovators, but also cements the EPO's reputation as a reliable and user-friendly organisation. This alignment of interests ultimately leads to a more productive and harmonious relationship with users, fostering innovation and growth within the patent system. In 2025, joint efforts with our partners to maintain and improve this framework resulted in several noteworthy developments.
A new version of the EPC and PCT-EPO Guidelines was pre-published on 1 February ahead of entry into force on 1 April. The new guidelines are the result of extensive user consultation, and take account of the latest developments regarding PGP practices and the case law of the BoA, especially decisions of the Enlarged Board of Appeal. Increasing the pre-publication period to two months improved transparency and legal certainty, including for EQE candidates. In addition, for the first time, the publication included a set of Unitary Patent Guidelines, replacing and expanding on the existing guides to better support users in navigating the new system.
The implementation of the second package of legal changes in support of digitalisation and simplification, which started in 2024, was largely completed in 2025 with the adoption of measures regarding electronic priority documents, colour filings, and multimedia citations. Self-service options for the data in registers have simplified the processing of data for the users. A third wave of changes began with the launch of a user consultation exercise. A particular focus area of this third basket was the EPO’s contribution to the modernisation of PCT procedures and workflows. The Office also developed proposals for possible additional measures supporting the transition to a paperless PGP, which were presented to the TOSC and Patent Law Committee and later adopted by the Administrative Council in 2026.
The Office’s internal processes for the systematic identification, assessment and reporting of relevant case law by the BoA and national courts were revamped and expanded to also cover decisions by the UPC and feed these back into the EPO's quality management cycle. This integrated approach contributes to the harmonisation of practices and ultimately enhances legal certainty for users.
On 1 April 2025, amendments introducing gender-neutral language into the EPC Implementing Regulations and associated texts entered into force – a key step in the EPO’s ongoing efforts to align its various legal texts with its commitment to diversity and inclusion, while ensuring clarity and legal certainty across all three official languages.
In September, the EPO hosted a Biopatents Workshop attended by delegations from 35 contracting states, and the European Commission as an observer. The event addressed the timely topic of New Genomic Techniques, reflecting growing interest and debate at EU level. The workshop focused on fact-based dialogue and supporting informed decision-making in biotechnology – an area of strategic importance for Europe’s competitiveness and sustainability.
Legal co-operation extended to data protection matters: in 2025, the DPO forged closer ties with peers in other international organisations – the network of DPOs of international organisations launched at the end of 2024 now counts 30 organisations – and expanded co-operation with European institutions and data protection authorities, further positioning the Office within the international data protection community.
The Unitary Patent: driver of innovation and competitiveness
The Unitary Patent system has continued to gain strong traction and has strengthened its role as a key pillar of patent protection in Europe. Since the start of the system in June 2023, the number of requests for unitary effect has continued to increase, and uptake rates have further risen compared to the previous reporting period, confirming the attractiveness of the system across technology fields and user profiles. By the end of 2025, almost 79 000 unitary patents had been registered by the EPO. In 2025, more than one in four European patents granted resulted in a request for unitary effect. In EPC member states, uptake was even higher at 40%, reflecting strong interest from European industry in this new form of patent protection.
Figure 17 – Evolution of Unitary Patent requests 2023-2025
The Unitary Patent remains particularly attractive for SMEs, individual inventors, universities and PROs (48% of the total share of European proprietors in 2025), underlining the system’s contribution to improving access to patent protection and reducing administrative complexity and costs for users with limited resources. At the same time, the system continues to be widely used by large industry, demonstrating its relevance for commercially significant patent portfolios.
Geographically, the Unitary Patent is used predominantly by patent owners based in Europe (60% of the total in 2025), confirming that the system primarily serves European innovators and supports the functioning of the Single Market. At the same time, the Unitary Patent is increasingly attracting interest overseas, in particular from the United States and East Asia. Within East Asia, China accounts for the largest share of requests, followed by the Republic of Korea, while uptake in Japan has also increased steadily over time. These trends underline the growing international relevance of the system.
In terms of implementation and user support, a range of common tools and information services continue to accompany the Unitary Patent system. In June 2025, the EPO launched an upgraded and expanded version of the Unitary Patent Dashboard, delivering an even broader range of insights into the usage and trends of the Unitary Patent system, directly addressing the feedback and expectations of stakeholders and users.
Figure 18 - Uptake of the Unitary Patent
Together, the improved Unitary Patent Dashboard, the Unitary Patent Register and the new Unitary Patent Guidelines support transparency and information-sharing by providing up-to-date public information on the use of the system, while tools such as the Unitary Patent fee calculator support users in understanding the cost implications of different protection strategies. These instruments contribute to a consistent and transparent framework for users and stakeholders across participating member states.
In this context, and in line with its institutional responsibilities, the Office contributed to the European Commission’s report on the operation of Regulation (EU) No 1257/2012. The contribution was published on the Office’s website and underlines the positive performance and growing visibility of the system.
The UPC has further strengthened its role as a centralised forum for patent litigation in Europe. Its growing body of case law and the increasing number of proceedings demonstrate rising user confidence in the Court as an effective and specialised jurisdiction. Moreover, decisions taken so far by the UPC have confirmed EPO practices, and demonstrated full alignment on fundamental patentability aspects, such as claim interpretation – further building trust in the system.
During 2025, the Office continued to collaborate closely with the UPC in training activities and IT-related developments, contributing to the effective enforcement of patents in Europe. Further progress was also made in the institutional set-up of the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre (PMAC), which is expected to commence its activities in June 2026, enhancing the range of dispute resolution options available to users of the system.
Overall, the continued growth in uptake, the broad and increasingly international user base and the stable operational performance demonstrate the success of the Unitary Patent system. It is contributing to reducing fragmentation in the European patent landscape and strengthening the attractiveness of Europe as a location for innovation and investment.
Figure 19 – SP2028 International co-operation, legal development and Unitary Patent pipeline
- Increase skills and knowledge
The European Patent Academy: IP training of excellence
In 2025, the European Patent Academy strengthened its role as a key provider of IP education, offering a broad and modern learning portfolio that supported professionals across the entire patent lifecycle. The Academy delivered 136 training activities, totalling 1 532 learning hours and attracting almost 30 000 registrations. Engagement with digital learning also continued to grow, with the e-learning centre reaching over 23 000 active users and recording close to 300 000 visits. User satisfaction remained high, while online and modular formats ensured wide accessibility, with women representing 53% of registrations and an increasing share of learners joining from outside the EPN. Close collaboration with national offices, the PATLIB network and international partners underpinned the Academy’s global impact, fully aligned with SP2028 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Figure 20 – Academy training activities and UN Sustainable Development Goals
Throughout the year, the Academy supported the rollout of the AbS tool across national patent offices through targeted training and capacity-building activities. These efforts helped strengthen national expertise, support the integration of AbS into daily search practice and contribute to greater consistency across the EPN.
To broaden access to high-quality IP education among students, the Academy continued rolling out the Modular Intellectual Property Education Framework (MIPEF). Across its 2025 editions, MIPEF engaged over 4 000 registrations from universities across Europe and is now firmly embedded in the academic landscape, having already exceeded the SP2028 objective for institutional participation.
In parallel, the Academy advanced its Children & Youth initiative, aimed at fostering early innovation skills and raising awareness of intellectual property among young people. Preparatory work continued on new learning content to be launched in 2026, while outreach activities at science fairs and youth innovation events helped inspire the next generation of innovators, reaching over 8 000 children and teenagers.
The EPO’s flagship conferences once again brought together the wider patent community and strengthened professional dialogue across Europe and beyond. Opposition Matters provided global audiences with insights into patent quality, procedural developments and emerging trends. Litigation Matters and the BoA Case Law Conference offered valuable exchanges on the Unitary Patent system, case law and early UPC practice. The European Judges’ Forum in Venice further deepened dialogue within the judicial community, helping align perspectives across the EPN and reinforcing the foundations of a coherent and high-quality European patent system.
The PATLIB & KT2A: supporting innovation ecosystems in Europe and Africa
The PATLIB network continued to strengthen its role in Europe’s innovation ecosystem, with 335 centres across 39 countries supporting SMEs, researchers and entrepreneurs through IP information and technology transfer services.
Engagement remained high: the PATLIB Conference 2025 in Vienna attracted a record of almost 4 000 online viewers, complemented by Shaping the Future seminars, active working groups and wide use of the PATLIB Learning Path, which has now been accessed more than 8 000 times. It also hosted the prize ceremony of the third edition of the CodeFest, which focused on innovative automated approaches to patent data classification for sustainable development. The Development and Support Package saw increased uptake, supporting 122 centre-led activities across 11 member states.
Figure 21 – Winners of the CodeFest awarded at prize ceremony during the 2025 PATLIB Conference in Vienna
Beyond Europe, the Knowledge Transfer to Africa (KT2A) initiative extended its reach, engaging 80 universities in 29 African countries through tailored training, mentoring and twinning partnerships. Participants reported clearer IP awareness, stronger collaboration and valuable exchange between African and European innovation ecosystems. Looking ahead, PATLIB2028 and the updated service level framework will further professionalise centres and increase their impact across local and regional innovation landscapes.
Certifications: reinforcing the patent profession
In 2025, the EPO made significant progress in strengthening professional certification, with important advances in both the EQE and the EPAC. A milestone was the introduction of the new foundational paper F, marking the first step in the gradual transition to a modernised, modular EQE framework. The session concluded with candidates sitting more than 4 000 papers, including over 600 taking paper F. Extensive preparatory support accompanied this change, helping candidates adapt to the new structure ahead of the fully reformed EQE planned for 2027.
EPAC also continued to gain momentum, reflecting growing demand for recognised qualifications in patent administration. Participation increased compared to previous years, and preparations advanced for the introduction of a modular EPAC structure from 2026. This new approach will allow candidates to progress more flexibly by earning individual diplomas on the pathway to full certification, broadening the programme’s appeal across the innovation ecosystem.
Figure 22 – Launch of modular European Patent Administration Certification (EPAC)
As a cornerstone of SP2028, the Candidate Support Programme (CSP) continued to promote access, diversity and geographical balance within the patent profession. The programme extended to 30 participating member states in 2025 and further strengthened its collaborative model, notably through close co-operation with epi and an increasingly active alumni network. Targeted training activities and mentoring continued to support candidates for the EQE, with the scope of the programme set to widen further in 2026 to include preparation for the EPAC.
The new edition of CodeFest is focused on patent and IP portfolio (e)valuation, challenging participants to develop data‑driven approaches to assess the economic and technological value of patents. Participants were given access to EPO patent databases and advanced analytics tools, such as Technology Intelligence Platform, to develop prototypes that transform complex patent data into insights. The finalists of the current edition will be announced in mid-2026.
Following its official launch in 2024, the Technology Intelligence Platform was enhanced in 2025. This version introduced automatic user registration and faster data updates. This ensures that more up-to-date information is available to our users, enables faster registration and reduces the need for manual interaction.
Figure 23 – SP2028 Increasing skills and knowledge pipeline
Observatory on Patents and Technology
In the second phase of its first 2023-2025 Biennial Work Plan, the Observatory on Patents and Technology continued to deliver high-impact analysis, insights on the innovation ecosystem and strategic mapping of critical technologies. In 2025, the Observatory significantly expanded its analytical output, outreach activities and stakeholder engagement, strengthening its role as a central reference point for patent‑based technology intelligence.
The Observatory’s publications continued to gain visibility, with their data and conclusions increasingly referenced by authoritative external sources. This helped anchor its work more firmly in wider policy and innovation debates. In the course of 2025, it released 14 publications: six economic studies, three technology insight reports and five innovation case studies. These publications continued to address high-impact themes such as patents and standards, the role of PROs and innovation in quantum technologies. Observatory publications were downloaded almost 100 000 times during the year 2025, demonstrating their growing reach and relevance.
In 2025, the Observatory also advanced the EPO’s foresight initiative, Scenarios for the Future 2025–2045. Inspired by the EPO’s landmark 2007 foresight report, the new exercise broadens its scope to encompass innovation and technology trends, supporting long‑term planning. The project was launched in mid‑2025 and formally presented at the December 2025 Administrative Council meeting, with its delivery strategically aligned with the EPO’s 50th anniversary in 2027.
As its analytical presence grew, the Observatory also broadened its engagement across the innovation ecosystem. Three online events were organised on Observatory topics in 2025 reaching over 16 000 cumulative views, and the Observatory tripled its participation in external events, from 60 interventions in the 2023–24 period to 180 interventions in 2025. This steady increase deepened exchanges with stakeholders and reinforced the visibility of patent-related topics across innovation networks.
In parallel, collaboration with member states intensified. The collaboration with EPO member states proved instrumental in enhancing both the quality and relevance of the Observatory deliverables and in strengthening connections with national innovation ecosystems. A total of 36 NPOs engaged in Observatory initiatives following the previous year’s call for interest. This included active participation in the “Reach out to high‑tech startups” project, which continued to support national authorities in connecting patent‑based intelligence with local innovation communities. Altogether, this project supported 12 events in 2025.
At the European level, the Observatory further strengthened its ties with EU institutions, ensuring that its evidence directly supported EU-level innovation priorities. Its studies contributed to Horizon Europe discussions and aligned with the themes highlighted in Mario Draghi’s report on Europe’s competitiveness. Cooperation advanced through new arrangements with the European Commission, EISMEA, the EIT and the EIB. Technology cartographies became a central element of this collaboration, supporting Pathfinder and other programmes, and expanding into new emerging fields. The Observatory also provided technical input to EISMEA juries, offering expert assessments on Horizon Europe Transition proposals. Since the launch of this co-operation, EPO experts have provided more than 170 advisory technical evaluations representing EUR 350 million of requested funding from startups.
Complementing these institutional partnerships, the Observatory partnered with several institutions to co‑publish studies, drawing on complementary expertise to enhance both the depth and the reach of its analyses. This included joint work with the EUIPO, the European Innovation Council, the OECD and the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research. In addition, some other studies benefited from more focused cooperation, such as drawing on expert input from EARTO and ASTP, and working with several Latin American patent offices.
Finally, the Observatory continued to expand and deliver tools that make patent‑based evidence more accessible to innovators, policymakers and researchers. The Deep Tech Finder saw major upgrades throughout the year, adding new technical‑field filters, extending coverage to PROs and their spinouts, introducing investor‑search functionality and launching a mobile app. By December, it featured over 10 000 startups and attracted strong user engagement, and achieved more than 38 000 views in its desktop version. Alongside this, three new technology platforms were released and together with the existing ones received over 20 000 visits during 2025; the Digital Library was launched as a central hub for publications and other media types, registering 1 000 views during the month and a half since its launch; and the Observatory’s technology‑intelligence offering was strengthened by a new dataset called the Patent Standards Explorer, which was downloaded 680 times in 2025, alongside an enhanced PATSTAT.
Figure 24 – SP2028 Observatory on Patents and Technology pipeline
- Driver 4 key performance indicators
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In 2025, KPI performance under the Partnerships driver advanced steadily, with three KPIs reaching their targets.
In the area of IT co-operation, consistent progress was achieved throughout the year, with 43 additional projects implemented during 2025 from multiple domains, namely: Digital Toolkit, Front Office, ANSERA-based Search, Data Quality and Process, Deep Data and AI, APIs and Interconnectors, and Single Access Portal. Strong collaboration was also reflected in the harmonisation efforts aimed at increasing convergence of patent practices between EPN members. At the end of 2025, 79.1% of members had implemented the agreed common practices at a national level. Moreover, two new practices were introduced during the year: “Allowable features in drawing” and “Issuing and accepting electronic priority documents”.
The geographical reach of EPO’s products and services remained stable and above target, with 16 validation agreements: seven with signed agreements and nine under formal negotiation.
Collaboration with universities continued to deepen, as part of the EPO’s commitment to supporting future generations of innovators and decision makers. In 2025, 50 additional universities integrated the Modular IP education framework (MIPEF) into their curricula, bringing the total to 90 universities and surpassing the target. Within the YPP, the number of universities offering STEM degrees remained stable at 82%.
EPO’s support to PATLIB centres was also enhanced, with continuous development of capabilities and expertise through network training and certification. The share of PATLIB staff that completed the EPO technology transfer training increased in 2025, from 6% to 29%. Corresponding certifications among Level 3 PATLIB centres saw a more contained improvement (from 12% to 14%), partly due to a substantial expansion of staff in these centres.
Within the Observatory, access to patent-related intelligence continued to expand. In 2025, three new technology platforms were launched, bringing the total to nine, while the Observatory’s content and tools reached 234 000 views, exceeding the annual target. As a result, the target for this KPI has been increased to 257 400 views for 2026.
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