A rapid growth in quantum technologies and AI, increasing presence of Asian innovators in the European market, and traditional sectors (health and transportation) which remain important in volume but contribute less to the dynamics – this is the technological landscape mapped out by the annual barometer of the European Patent Office (EPO), the EPO Technology Dashboard 2025 (formerly Patent Index) published on Tuesday, March 23, 2026. “An interesting indicator, as it gives a ‘fresh’ view of innovation,” argues Yorick Lostetter, Chief Business Analyst at the EPO, because patents provide a “fresh” perspective on innovation, with applications being filed before the technologies reach the market.
The organization recorded 201,974 applications in 2025, an increase of 1.4% compared to 2024. A rebound from recent years of stagnation. The applications are, not surprisingly, mostly focused on digital technologies and clean energy, according to the EPO.
As in the previous year, information technologies remained the main innovation domain in 2025 (+6.1% compared to 2024), driven by an increase in patent applications related to artificial intelligence (+9.5%) and the advancement of quantum technologies. “It is still a modest field, representing only 451 patent applications, but the number of applications has more than doubled in five years and increased by 38% in one year,” specifies Yorick Lostetter.
