Europe has been responsible for 40% of inventions in water-related technologies between 1992 and 2021, according to a new study by the European Patent Office (EPO).
During that period, European inventors have led in all major water-related fields, the EPO study reveals. These areas include potable water collection, water use efficiency, wastewater treatment and flood protection.
Over 22,000 international patents were filed globally in the three-decade span. A majority (60%) pertained to water treatment, particularly automation and treatment operations control.
Germany claimed the top spot in Europe, accounting for 12% of global inventions. France (5%) ranked second in Europe and fifth globally, contributing to every eighth European invention.
“Given the threats posed by climate change, innovation needs to grow even faster in the coming decades – in both the supply of water and protection from water-related hazards,” EPO president António Campinos stressed.
The report aims to provide policy makers with an analysis of the water technology landscape, while offering support to inventors, he added.
Major patent filers include French company Veolia (which since 2022 has taken over part of its rival Suez), Xylem from the United States, and Japan’s Kurita, reports the EPO. France’s Suez ranks fifth globally.
The top five universities and public research organisations include two Chinese universities (the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Nanjing University), France’s CNRS and two US institutions, MIT and University of California, in that order.
The study can be accessed at Innovation in water-related technologies (epo.org)
