In terms of the filing of international patents, 2025 saw a second consecutive year of modest growth, although the longer-term pace of expansion in the global innovation system remained subdued. The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) reported that around 275,900 international patent applications were filed under its Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) in 2025, up 0.7% from 2024. China remained the largest origin of PCT applications, with 73,718 filings, followed by the US with 52,617, Japan with 47,922, South Korea with 25,016 and Germany with 16,441. Together, these five economies accounted for 78.2% of global PCT applications.
Asia accounted for 57% of all PCT applications in 2025, compared to 21.6% for Europe and 20% for North America, underlining the continued shift in global patenting towards Asian innovation ecosystems. Digital communication was the largest technology field, representing 11.1% of published PCT applications, followed by computer technology (9.6%), electrical machinery (9%), medical technology (6.3%) and pharmaceuticals (4.3%). Digital communication and semiconductors both recorded growth of 6.1%, while electrical machinery increased by 4.6%. Syria accounted for three of the 18 PCT applications filed by applicants in low-income countries in 2025, according to WIPO, illustrating both the country’s limited international patenting activity and its continued participation in the PCT system.
Higher Education & Patents
Universities accounted for 5.3% of published PCT applications in 2025, while businesses accounted for 89.6%, individuals for 3.5% and government and public research entities for 1.6%. This highlights the role of universities as centres of scientific discovery, while demonstrating the value of private-sector partners in financing, testing, manufacturing and commercialising research output.
Universities in emerging economies have traditionally generated fewer international patents than those in more mature markets, due to factors ranging from lower levels of research and design expenditure to limited technology-transfer capacity and weaker links between industry and academia. Nevertheless, institutions in a growing number of middle-income economies are expanding their innovation ecosystems through research funding, incubators, intellectual property support services and partnerships with industry. In 2025 universities from nine countries featured in WIPO’s top 50 educational applicants, including institutions from China, India, Singapore and South Korea, illustrating the broad geographical base of university-led patenting.
Private Sector Collaboration
Effective cooperation between universities, research organisations and businesses is key to transforming research into economically viable products and services. China’s Huawei was the largest PCT applicant in 2025 for the ninth consecutive year, with 7523 published applications. South Korea’s Samsung ranked second with 4698 applications. The prominence of companies active in digital communications, semiconductors, batteries and electrical machinery reflects the sectors shaping current international innovation activity.
For countries with developing research ecosystems, technology-transfer offices; patent-search and filing support; proof-of-concept funding; and industry-linked research programmes can help to bridge the gap between academic research and commercial deployment. WIPO’s profile for Syria recorded 143 patent applications by Syrian residents in 2024, including 104 resident applications and 39 filed abroad, as well as three PCT applications that year.
Syrian-origin PCT publications in the 2022-24 period were concentrated in medical technology and pharmaceuticals, while Saudi Arabia, the GCC Patent Office and Egypt were among the principal destinations for patent applications filed abroad. This suggests that cooperation between Syrian universities, research centres, pharmaceutical producers and health-sector organisations could help convert research strengths into locally relevant products and potential regional exports.
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