Learning by Research

Already ranked as the leading French university by the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) in its latest ranking of annual top patent filers, UGA confirms its leadership on a European scale in terms of innovation through this new European study on the role of universities as sources of innovation.

The top 5 European universities in innovation

1. Université Grenoble Alpes – France (3,348 patents)
2. ETH Zurich – Switzerland (2,219 patents),
3. TU Munchen - Germany (2,183 patents),
4. Lunds Universitet - Sweden (2,064 patents)
5. Université Paris Cité - France (1,934 patents).

This outstanding performance by UGA, which surpasses the top European higher education and research institutions, reflects a long-standing and proactive policy in research and innovation closely tied to national research organizations (CEA, CNRS, INRAE, Inria, Inserm).

The Grenoble Alpes University Innovation Hub, led by UGA, aims to further enhance the impact of public research on society through five sectors:

• Digital and electronics
• Energy
• Health
• Industrial inputs, (bio)materials, and processes
• Environment, spaces, and life

With its strong dynamic in patent filing across these sectors, UGA demonstrates its economic, societal, and environmental impact.

EPO study methodology

This study, which is the first comprehensive analysis of its kind, is based on data from 1,200 European universities that generated patent applications with the EPO between 2000 and 2020. In addition to the patent applications submitted directly by the universities, it also examines those filed indirectly by other entities in which researchers affiliated with these universities are listed as inventors.