In 2019-2023, 30 invention applications for protection were filed in the national mode, i.e. at the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland, of which 8 patent applications were prepared in the last year – 2023.
There are several reasons for the observed year-on-year increase in the number of applications for protection of inventions. One of them is the growing awareness of the possibility of economic use of the results of scientific research, which is closely connected with securing protection for new technologies. Another element influencing the increase in the number of applications is the need for indicators to be realised within the framework of projects funded, among others, by the NCBR or other institutions funding applied, development and implementation research. Consortia with industrial partners also stimulate an increase in the number of applications, as a necessary element to maintain exclusivity for companies implementing new technologies.
Over the last five years, out of 30 inventions filed by MUG for protection in Poland, 24 have been decided to extend the territorial application by entering the PCT, EURO-PCT or EPO phase. In the University’s portfolio, we have patent applications in countries such as the United States, Korea, Japan, India and China, among others. In 2019-23, we did not receive a rejection for any of the pending proceedings in the international procedure. During the last 5 years, 12 patents have been granted in favour of MUG as sole or co-inventor. These 12 international patents include those granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the European Patent Office (EPO). In the case of the patents granted at the EPO, validation, i.e. the confirmed right to exclusivity, has been paid in several to a dozen European countries.
MUG is the sole owner (entitled to exercise the right of exclusivity) of 6 of the 12 patents granted in the last 5 years. It is noteworthy that 2 of the patents granted exclusively to GUMed have been commercialised, while for another patent we are in the final stages of the formal process, which will be a step towards the possibility of commercialising the protected invention.
The third mission of the University, which is to make a significant contribution to the innovative capacity of the economy, is achieved, among other things, by submitting the results of scientific research to the Technology Transfer Office for verification of their implementation potential, as well as by securing legal exclusivity at the Patent Office.