Patent Activity in Berlin
Mapping Berlin's innovation landscape through 6,259 patent families — from medtech and AI to energy transition and life sciences
Annual Filing Trend
Patent families per year linked to Berlin through applicants or inventors on EP applications.
* 2023: Incomplete due to ~18-month publication delay (PATSTAT Autumn 2025 Edition). 2024 excluded (minimal coverage).
Data table: Annual Filing Activity
| Year | Berlin Inventors | Berlin-HQ Applicants |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1,234 | 607 |
| 2020 | 1,293 | 592 |
| 2021 | 1,195 | 676 |
| 2022 | 1,047 | 688 |
| 2023* | 734 | 459 |
Stable core, delayed tail. Berlin-based inventors contributed to 1,234 to 1,293 families per year from 2019 to 2021. Berlin-HQ applicants accounted for 592 to 688 families. The inventor perspective is consistently larger, reflecting Berlin's role as R&D location for non-Berlin-headquartered firms. The apparent decline in 2023 is primarily an artifact of PATSTAT's 18-month publication delay. Within the complete years (2019–2022), the inventor-linked count declined moderately from 1,234 to 1,047 (-15.2%).
Who Patents in Berlin?
Two complementary perspectives: companies headquartered in Berlin vs. all companies with Berlin-based inventors.
Berlin-Headquartered Applicants
Companies with Berlin Inventors
Berlin is a far bigger innovation hub than its corporate headquarters suggest. The inventor perspective reveals major R&D operations by Siemens (269+195+142 families across three entities), Volkswagen (287), Fraunhofer (296), and BSH Hausgeraete (176) — none of which appear in the HQ-based view. Berlin-headquartered Biotronik (367 families) and Bundesdruckerei (329) lead the local applicant ranking. The gap between the two lists underscores Berlin's role as a preferred R&D location for major German corporations.
Key Players Over Time
Annual patent families for the seven most active applicants with Berlin-based inventors (2019–2023).
* 2023: Incomplete due to publication delay. Trends for 2023 should be interpreted with caution.
Data table: Key Players by Year
| Applicant | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen | 81 | 81 | 71 | 31 | 17 |
| Fraunhofer | 79 | 94 | 64 | 34 | 25 |
| Siemens AG | 78 | 55 | 57 | 58 | 57 |
| Biotronik | 34 | 28 | 51 | 77 | 40 |
| Bundesdruckerei | 61 | 42 | 55 | 37 | 29 |
| Siemens Energy | 57 | 62 | 40 | 22 | 17 |
| BSH Hausgeraete | 26 | 44 | 28 | 29 | 33 |
Diverging trajectories. Volkswagen showed sharp contraction from 81 families (2019) to 31 (2022). Siemens AG remained remarkably stable at 55–78 families per year. Biotronik surged to 77 families in 2022, more than doubling its 2019 level (34), suggesting accelerated R&D investment. Siemens Energy, spun off from Siemens AG in 2020, peaked at 62 families in 2020 and has since declined.
Technology Landscape
WIPO technology sectors and IPC subclass distribution across Berlin's patent portfolio.
Sector counts are non-exclusive: one patent family can be assigned to multiple WIPO sectors. Totals exceed the 6,259 unique families.
Top 15 IPC Subclasses
Data table: IPC Subclass Distribution
| IPC | Description | Families | Key Actors |
|---|---|---|---|
| A61K | Medical & dental preparations | 487 | Bayer, Charite, FU Berlin |
| H04L | Digital information transmission | 358 | Fraunhofer HHI, Deutsche Telekom |
| A61B | Diagnosis, surgery, identification | 344 | Biotronik, Charite |
| A61P | Therapeutic activity of compounds | 341 | Bayer, Charite, MDC |
| G06F | Electric digital data processing | 314 | Siemens, Bundesdruckerei |
| H04W | Wireless communication networks | 304 | Fraunhofer HHI, Deutsche Telekom |
| A61N | Electrotherapy, radiation therapy | 302 | Biotronik |
| G01N | Material analysis & investigation | 300 | Siemens, Bayer |
| G06N | AI & computational models | 165 | Siemens, VW, Fraunhofer |
| H04N | Pictorial communication (TV) | 159 | Fraunhofer HHI |
| G06Q | ICT for business processes | 156 | Bundesdruckerei, Siemens |
| D06F | Laundering, drying, ironing | 154 | BSH Hausgeraete |
| C07K | Peptides | 148 | Charite, MDC, FU Berlin |
| G16H | Healthcare informatics | 134 | Siemens, Biotronik |
| B42D | Security documents, ID cards | 124 | Bundesdruckerei |
Three innovation pillars: (1) Life sciences & medtech, (2) Digital & communications technology, (3) Industrial technology. Life sciences is led by Biotronik (cardiac devices), Bayer (pharma), and the Charite research ecosystem. Digital/communications is dominated by Fraunhofer HHI's video coding standards, Siemens' digital infrastructure, and Deutsche Telekom. Industrial technology spans VW's automotive R&D through Siemens Energy's turbine engineering to BSH's home appliance innovation. B42D (security documents, 124 families) reflects Bundesdruckerei's unique position as Berlin-headquartered security technology firm.
Berlin's Research Landscape
Universities, university hospitals, and publicly funded research institutions filing EP applications from Berlin.
Data quality note: PATSTAT's name harmonization (han_name) incorrectly maps "Technische Universitaet Berlin" to "TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAT MUNCHEN". All 81 families shown for TU Berlin were verified via person_name to originate from the Berlin campus. This is a known PATSTAT harmonization error.
Technology Focus by Institution
Data table: Research Institution Profiles
| Institution | Primary Focus | Secondary Focus | Families |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charite Universitaetsmedizin | Pharmaceuticals (52) | Biotechnology (48) | 92 |
| TU Berlin | Electrical machinery (12) | Special machines (12) | 81 |
| FU Berlin | Pharmaceuticals (22) | Biotechnology (12) | 48 |
| Max Delbrueck Center (MDC) | Biotechnology (37) | Pharmaceuticals (24) | 41 |
| Forschungsverbund Berlin | Pharmaceuticals (11) | Biotechnology (6) | 23 |
| Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) | Semiconductors (5) | Measurement (5) | 17 |
| Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (Leibniz) | Optics (8) | Semiconductors (3) | 14 |
| HTW Berlin | — | — | 11 |
| DRFZ (Rheumatology) | — | — | 11 |
| Humboldt-Universitaet | — | — | 10 |
Key Research Collaborations
Data table: Research Collaborations
| Institution 1 | Institution 2 | Joint Families |
|---|---|---|
| Charite | Max Delbrueck Center (MDC) | 15 |
| Charite | FU Berlin | 5 |
| Charite | Sapreme Technologies BV | 5 |
| FU Berlin | Bundesdruckerei | 3 |
| Charite | Univ. Santiago de Compostela | 3 |
| Charite | DKFZ Heidelberg | 3 |
| Forschungsverbund Berlin | LMU Muenchen | 3 |
| TU Berlin | Fraunhofer | 2 |
| TU Berlin | BSH Hausgeraete | 2 |
| TU Berlin | BASF | 2 |
Life sciences corridor: The Charite–MDC axis is the most productive research collaboration in Berlin's patent landscape, with 15 joint families. Together with FU Berlin and the Forschungsverbund, they form a life sciences cluster focused on pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. TU Berlin operates in a different space entirely — electrical engineering, chemical engineering, and materials science — with industry partnerships (Fraunhofer, BSH, BASF) rather than academic co-filing. HZB and the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut contribute specialized portfolios in semiconductors and photonics.
Berlin's Most Prolific Inventors
Top 10 named inventors located in Berlin, by DOCDB patent family count (EP applications, 2019–2024).
Data table: Top 10 Inventors
| # | Inventor | Employer | Families |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cornelius Hellge | Fraunhofer (HHI) | 119 |
| 2 | Thomas Schierl | Fraunhofer (HHI) | 118 |
| 3 | Thomas Wiegand | Fraunhofer (HHI) | 107 |
| 4 | Andreas Pfadler | Volkswagen | 99 |
| 5 | Guillaume Jornod | Volkswagen / Bosch | 75 |
| 6 | Detlev Marpe | Fraunhofer (HHI) | 72 |
| 7 | Thomas Fehrenbach | Fraunhofer (HHI) | 72 |
| 8 | Baris Goektepe | Fraunhofer (HHI) | 67 |
| 9 | Heiko Schwarz | Fraunhofer (HHI) | 60 |
| 10 | Thomas Wirth | — | 46 |
Employer derived from co-occurring applicant on the same EP applications. Thomas Wirth appears with two name case variants (combined: ~86 families).
The Fraunhofer HHI cluster: Seven of Berlin's ten most prolific inventors work at Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI), all in the field of video coding and multimedia communication. Thomas Wiegand, Detlev Marpe, and Heiko Schwarz are key contributors to the H.265/HEVC and H.266/VVC video compression standards. This single research group accounts for a substantial share of Berlin's digital communication patents. Volkswagen's Berlin R&D contributes the remaining two top inventors (Pfadler, Jornod), focused on automotive technology.
International Filing Strategy
Filing offices used by Berlin-linked patent families and grant rates by jurisdiction.
Data table: Filing Offices and Grant Rates
| Office | Families | Granted | Grant Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| EP (European Patent Office) | 2,952 | 922 | 31.2% |
| WO (PCT International) | 1,744 | — | — |
| US (United States) | 1,424 | 470 | 33.0% |
| DE (Germany / DPMA) | 918 | 265 | 28.9% |
| CN (China) | 832 | 220 | 26.4% |
| JP (Japan) | 615 | 207 | 33.7% |
| KR (South Korea) | 290 | 59 | 20.3% |
| CA (Canada) | 284 | — | — |
| AU (Australia) | 214 | — | — |
Grant rates for 2022+ filings are artificially low due to examination pendency (3–5 years at EPO, 2–3 years at USPTO). WO/PCT applications do not result in grants directly. Family counts across offices overlap.
Global reach: Berlin patent families file across 15+ patent offices. 58.9% of all Berlin families have at least one PCT/WO family member. The US (1,424 families) and China (832) are the most common national-phase destinations after EP, reflecting the international scope of Berlin's major applicants (Siemens, Biotronik, Bayer).
Methodology
Search strategy, data sources, and known limitations.
Search Strategy
This report identifies Berlin's patent activity through geographic person matching on EP applications. The approach uses PATSTAT's NUTS geocoding (levels 3 and 4) to find applicants and inventors located in Berlin (NUTS code DE300). EP applications were chosen as the base because PATSTAT only provides NUTS geocoding for EP filings — DPMA (DE) applications have no NUTS coverage by design.
Two perspectives are shown: (1) The applicant perspective counts families where the applicant entity itself has Berlin NUTS. This captures Berlin-headquartered organizations. (2) The inventor perspective counts families where at least one named inventor is located in Berlin. This captures the full R&D footprint, including work done in Berlin for non-Berlin-headquartered companies.
Family counting: All counts use DOCDB patent families to avoid double-counting the same invention filed across multiple jurisdictions. A family filed at both EP and US is counted once.
Multi-assignment: WIPO technology fields, IPC subclasses, and technology sectors can assign a single family to multiple categories. Charts and tables showing technology breakdowns may sum to more than the total family count.
PATSTAT Harmonization Bug: The han_name field maps "Technische Universitaet Berlin" to "TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAT MUNCHEN" (TU Munich). This was detected and corrected for this report by verifying against the raw person_name field. All 81 TU Berlin families were confirmed via person_name.
Scope Limitations
- Utility models and designs are excluded (patent applications only, ipr_type = PI)
- Applications filed before 2019 are not included
- Only EP applications have NUTS geocoding — DPMA-only filings without an EP equivalent are not captured in the geographic analysis
- NUTS level 3+4 coverage for EP applications reaches ~99.6% through 2022, but drops to ~78% for 2023 (processing lag)
- Companies with Berlin R&D but no Berlin-located inventor names in PATSTAT may be undercounted
- Subsidiary/brand identification is limited to what PATSTAT's han_name harmonization provides
Data source: EPO PATSTAT Global, Autumn 2025 Edition, accessed via Google Cloud BigQuery. Analysis date: 25 February 2026. Data freshness: PATSTAT Autumn 2025 contains publications up to approximately mid-2025. Due to the 18-month publication delay, filing year 2023 is substantially incomplete, and 2024 has minimal coverage.
Glossary — Patent Terms Explained
- Patentfamilie (DOCDB)
- Eine Gruppe von Patentanmeldungen, die dieselbe Erfindung in verschiedenen Laendern schuetzen. Wird einmal gezaehlt, um Doppelzaehlungen zu vermeiden.
- EP / WO / DE / US / CN / JP
- Patentamtskuerzel: EP = Europaeisches Patentamt, WO = International (PCT), DE = Deutschland (DPMA), US = Vereinigte Staaten, CN = China, JP = Japan.
- NUTS (Systematik der Gebietseinheiten fuer die Statistik)
- EU-Klassifikationssystem fuer geografische Regionen. DE300 = Berlin. Wird von PATSTAT zur Geokodierung von Anmeldern und Erfindern auf EP-Anmeldungen verwendet.
- IPC (Internationale Patentklassifikation)
- Ein hierarchisches System zur Klassifizierung von Patenten nach Technologiebereich, gepflegt von der WIPO.
- PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty)
- Internationaler Anmeldeweg, der Anmeldern ermoeglicht, in mehreren Laendern Patentschutz ueber eine einzige WO-Anmeldung zu suchen.
- han_name
- PATSTATs harmonisiertes Anmeldernamensfeld. Soll Namensvarianten derselben Organisation zusammenfuehren, enthaelt aber bekannte Fehler (siehe TU-Berlin-Hinweis).
- Grant Rate (Erteilungsrate)
- Anteil der Patentanmeldungen, die letztlich erteilt werden. Raten fuer juengere Jahre erscheinen niedrig, da die Pruefung 3–5 Jahre dauert.
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Dieser Report wurde mit einer vollständig reproduzierbaren Pipeline erstellt: EPO PATSTAT Global auf BigQuery, ein eigener MCP-Server und Claude AI für Analyse und Visualisierung. Alles ist offen und nachvollziehbar