Policy and funding
The EPO's Observatory explores how policies and funding frameworks support technological innovation in Europe and beyond. By analysing patent, business and economic data alongside policy and investment trends, we provide insights into the forces driving new technologies. We identify barriers to innovation in areas such as financing innovation and support a dynamic and sustainable ecosystem.
Overview of projects
Financing innovation
Investors play a crucial role in commercialising ideas with great potential to drive progress, including patenting technologies. This topic explores how funding opportunities arise by effectively leveraging patents and other intellectual property rights.
Patents and standards
The future of technology is evermore dependant on the IoT and other technologies for which standards are essential. We explore the very relevant link between patents and standards.
Discover other areas of the Observatory
Our latest resources
Technology standards are the silent powerhouses behind today’s digital economy. A new dataset shows the deepening links between patents and standards. The EPO now has over 5.5 million documents from standards development organisations in its databases.
A new dataset connects patent applications to SDO documents, linking the patent and standards worlds beyond traditional self-reported standard-essentiality declarations.
This study aims to contribute to improving financing opportunities for technology-driven startups in Europe
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
The work of the Observatory in the area of research policy and funding directly aligns with and supports several UN SDGs, including:
