A new study by the European Patent Office (EPO) reveals that Europe is a global leader in water-related technological innovation, with 40% of such inventions originating from European applicants. This announcement comes as the EPO launches three significant resources aimed at supporting inventors, researchers, policymakers, and investors in addressing the critical challenges of water supply and management, as well as threats from flooding and coastal erosion.
The EPO’s newly published resources include an in-depth study on global trends in water-related technologies, a user-friendly technology platform for accessing extensive patent information, and enhanced filters for the Deep Tech Finder tool, which connects European startups with investors. These initiatives have been developed by the EPO’s Chief Economist in collaboration with the Observatory on Patents and Technology.
According to the United Nations, 2.2 billion people lacked access to safely managed drinking water in 2022, and 3.5 billion were without safe sanitation services. Droughts and floods continue to cause significant human and economic losses annually. EPO President António Campinos emphasised the importance of innovation in tackling these challenges: "Water is one of our most precious resources. Given the threats posed by climate change, innovation needs to accelerate in both water supply and protection from water-related hazards. Our new study and tools offer high-quality data and analysis of the water technology landscape and support inventors in developing solutions to meet our water challenges."
Study reveals global trends
The EPO’s study highlights Europe’s leading role in developing new water technologies. From 1992 to 2021, applicants from the EPO’s 39 member states accounted for 40% of all international patent families (IPFs) in water-related technologies. Germany, France, and the UK are the top European countries contributing to this innovation, with the US and Japan following closely.
The study notes that over 22,000 IPFs were filed globally between 1992 and 2021 in water-related technologies, with water treatment being the largest area of invention, comprising about 60% of all IPFs. Efficient water treatment, particularly automation and control of treatment operations, has seen the fastest growth in recent years.
Rise of university innovation
While large companies like Veolia (France), Xylem (USA), and Kurita (Japan) are the top patent applicants in water technologies, the contribution of universities and public research organisations has notably increased. Their share of water-related IPFs grew from under 5% in the 1990s to 14% between 2017 and 2021. Leading institutions include the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing University (China), and CNRS (France).
Enhancing access to information
To support the dissemination of water technology information, the EPO, in collaboration with national patent offices across Europe, has developed a new technology platform. This platform is based on datasets from the study and features 77 search concepts prepared by patent examiners from the EPO and 10 national offices. These concepts are organised into themes such as clean water and sanitation and protection against water-related hazards. This platform aims to help scientists, governments, and businesses easily navigate the EPO’s Espacenet patent database, which contains over 150 million documents, and to discover the latest advances and opportunities for further research in the water sector.
