Portugal is part of a strong innovators group and surpasses 1,000 requests for national inventions
After 10 years classified as Moderate Innovator, according to the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS), Portugal joined the group of Strong Innovators (in 12th place) for the first time in 2020. It is, therefore, among the most innovative countries of the European Union (EU), standing out in the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) sector.
The favourable environment for innovation and attractive research systems are pointed out as the main factors for Portugal now being one of the frontline countries, and one of the countries that has risen the most in the performance ranking between 2012 and 2019.
The importance of SME-friendly policies, more specifically those that encourage the protection of intangible assets, such as the protection of industrial property rights, has direct repercussions on technological development and innovation. In December 2019, a 20 million euros SME support fund was launched by the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the European Commission.
SMEs in the European Union can use this fund to obtain a refund of 50% of the fees for trademark and design applications, up to a maximum of 1,500 euros.
The first call (competition for access to funds) took place on 11 January, and as a result of an awareness campaign developed by the Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial (National Institute for Industrial Property) (INPI), Portuguese SMEs are now at the top of the list of applications for this fund.
With regard to the protection of national inventions, in 2020 there were over 1,000 patent and utility model applications, corresponding to a growth of 16.5%, compared to the 965 applications formalised in 2019.
On the other hand, the volume of European patent validations in Portugal registered a decrease of 9.1% compared to 2019.
There was a 25.5% increase in the number of international patent applications originating in Portugal.
With regard to trademarks and other distinctive signs of commerce, it can be seen that, despite the crisis caused by COVID-19, there was only a drop of 0.6% in national registration applications.
In terms of trademarks, and in proportional terms, Portugal is one of the European Union countries with the greatest appetite for protection: 2,094 trademark applications per million inhabitants, well above countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and France.
