EPO participates in annual EARTO conference on industrial competitiveness
Gilles Requena, EPO Chief Patent Research and Policy Officer, with EARTO President Jesús Valero and EARTO Secretary-General Muriel Attané at the EARTO Annual Conference 2026 in Brussels.
On June 10th in Brussels, the European Patent Office (EPO) participated in the annual conference of the European Association of Research and Technology Organisations (EARTO), joining policymakers, industry representatives and Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs) to exchange on how Europe can accelerate the scale-up of critical technologies and reinforce its industrial competitiveness.
Speaking in the session “RTOs, Industry and Europe’s Technological Sovereignty”, EPO Chief Patent Research and Policy Officer Gilles Requena underlined the value of patent intelligence for turning research strengths into industrial and societal impact. He highlighted how high-quality patent data, analysis and IP knowledge can help innovation actors identify technology trends, find partners, make informed strategic decisions and bring research results closer to market.
Recent evidence shows that PROs, like the members of EARTO, are key to innovation in Europe. A study launched by the Observatory last year showed that PROs generated almost 63 000 European patent applications between 2001 and 2020. Annual European patent applications linked to PROs increased from around 2 000 at the beginning of the period to more than 3 500 by 2020, underlining the importance of public research in Europe’s innovation system.
New MoU with EARTO supports RTOs with patent intelligence, training, tools and resources
A newly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the EPO and EARTO was announced at the conference, building on the organisations’ strong relationship and establishing a framework for structured dialogue and co-operation. Through this co-operation agreement, the EPO and EARTO aim to exchange information and develop activities that support RTOs in making greater use of patent information, IP training, and evidence-based analysis. The MoU will support future exchanges around patent intelligence, technology transfer, and the use of EPO tools, making these resources more accessible to RTOs. Where appropriate, EARTO will also contribute expertise, case examples and links to its network for projects from the EPO Observatory and its tools and resources such as the Deep Tech Finder, MyIPScore and technology platforms.
The EPO and EARTO are currently exploring further co-operation to help research and innovation actors better understand, manage and use IP and patent information in their technology transfer activities. This includes work with the Observatory on a study on European technology transfer offices (TTOs) being conducted in collaboration with the Association of European Science and Technology Transfer Professionals (ASTP), which is planned for publication on 22 October 2026.
Conference highlights the role of RTOs and PROs in bringing research to market
The conference provided a valuable forum to highlight the prominent role RTOs and public research organisations (PROs) play in helping to convert scientific knowledge and infrastructure into valuable technologies, services and system solutions.
About EARTO
Founded in 1999, EARTO promotes Research and Technology Organisations and represents their interests in Europe. Its network includes over 350 RTOs in more than 32 countries, representing 228 000 highly skilled researchers and engineers managing a wide range of technology infrastructures.
