Munich. Especially in times of a tense economic and political situation, it is of particular interest to shed light on the current economic activity of companies operating in Germany, also with regard to innovations. To this end, the GPTO published the latest application and grant figures for 2021 in the field of patents on March 29, 2022, as part of the "GPTOuserforum 2022".

Based on an evaluation according to IPC classes, the technology areas of energy supply and mobility, in particular future-oriented economic sectors that are undergoing particular upheavals, were considered.

However, it can be seen that the number of applications in the field of renewable energies has stagnated over the last five years. This is therefore a good opportunity for companies to become active in this area and to distinguish themselves from their competitors through high innovative strength.

In contrast, fuel cell technology in particular stands out, with an increase of almost 90 percent in published patent applications compared to the previous year. According to the GPTO survey, about half of the patent applications published in 2021 will also come from Germany. In the equally important future field of batteries, on the other hand, there was a strong increase of almost 60% in publications from China.

In view of the figures presented, GPTO President Cornelia Rudloff-Schäffer correctly summed up: "In view of the technological upheavals in the automotive industry, the result of our analysis in the field of alternative drive technologies is an encouraging sign". Furthermore, however, it is clear that "we need clean electricity for electromobility as well. In the fight against climate change, the way energy is generated plays a key role. In addition, the current political situation shows that we need to become less dependent on fossil fuels. That's why more innovation momentum is also needed again in renewable energies. Technology leadership in this field promises enormous economic opportunities for Germany as an export nation. And it is an important contribution to the energy sovereignty of Germany and Europe."