Academic Research Programme: new call for proposals

Today, the European Patent Office (EPO) launched a new call for research proposals which make use of the most advanced EPO tools to generate patent intelligence that makes a difference.

The EPO’s Academic Research Programme is designed for researchers who want to have a real-world impact. After eight years and five previous calls for proposals, the programme has funded more than twenty ground-breaking research projects on a variety of patent-related matters, ranging from innovation and economic growth to knowledge transfer.

The sixth call is designed to support practical, solution-driven research projects that use the EPO’s powerful Technology Intelligence Platform (TIP) and PATSTAT. This is a unique opportunity to generate patent intelligence that matters to innovators, businesses, policymakers, investors and the next generation navigating an increasingly complex world. Funding is available for up to six projects with a grant of up to EUR 50 000 for each project.

Two research streams

Proposals for research projects can be submitted until 27 February 2026 for each research stream:

• Stream A: Advanced methods for forecasting patent applications

  Data-driven insights into the direction of innovation can help us understand and steer where technology is heading next. The EPO invites research teams to develop methods for forecasting patent filings across patent jurisdictions, industries and technology fields.

• Stream B: Local ecosystems of academic inventors and universities

  As technological change accelerates at an unprecedented pace, Europe’s competitiveness depends on knowing what’s being developed where, by whom and with what potential impact. This stream encompasses research on academic inventors and universities, their performance as important actors in innovation systems across Europe, and related challenges such as access to finance and barriers to commercialisation. The EPO invites academic teams to build on its 2024 study on the role of European universities in patenting and innovation.

Powerful tools to support researchers

To carry out their research projects, researchers can use two very powerful tools provided by the EPO.

The Technology Intelligence Platform is the EPO’s next-generation platform for processing, analysing and visualising patent data. The platform empowers researchers, businesses and anyone with an interest in data and innovation to run advanced patent data analysis using the EPO’s PATSTAT databases and numerous other high-quality data sets. TIP is free to use and also provides free access to PATSTAT.

Compiled by the EPO over the last 20 years, PATSTAT contains a wealth of bibliographical and legal event patent data from more than 100 patent offices worldwide, making it a leading, world-class source of patent intelligence and statistics. PATSTAT users include leading International Organisations, patent information centres (PATLIBs) throughout Europe and national patent offices worldwide.

Who is eligible to apply for the Academic Research Programme (ARP)?

Proposals for research projects can be submitted by individual research institutes based in a member state of the European Patent Organisation or by groups of institutes. With regard to groups, the partner institutes can be based anywhere in the world, as long as the official project applicant (contracting partner) is based in a member state of the European Patent Organisation. There are no nationality requirements for either the principal researcher or the co-researchers

How are the projects selected?

A Scientific Committee chaired by the EPO’s Chief Economist will lead the selection process, ensuring scientific rigour and alignment with the EPO’s strategic priorities, as outlined in its Strategic Plan 2028 and the recently launched biennial work plan (2026-2027) of the EPO's Observatory on Patents and Technology. There will be three projects per stream. Each project will have a duration of up to 18 months.

Where can I find details of previous ARP projects?

The last call for proposals took place in 2021. The EPO has published more than 20 research reports, all of which can be viewed via the link below. Many of the research projects have inspired longer-term activities at the EPO, such as the forthcoming report on women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), the publication of which is planned for the first quarter of 2026.

Next steps

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to shape the future of patent intelligence through your research project, and support innovators, investors and decision-makers with actionable insights. The deadline for submission of proposals is 27 February 2026.

More information on the application and selection process is available on the ARP and FAQ pages below.