Technische Universität Dortmund

Filing volume remained essentially stable across both periods (avg. 15.5 vs. 14.0 families/year). The Excellence Start-Up Center initiative (launched 2019) has not yet resulted in a measurable increase in patent filings. However, the 2024 data is incomplete, and effects may take several years to materialize through the patent pipeline.

The PCT rate increased from 40% to 51%, indicating a stronger international filing strategy. EP direct filings declined (-20pp), suggesting a shift from the EP route to the PCT route as the preferred path for international protection. US coverage remained stable at ~16%. Two new jurisdictions were added: China (2 families) and South Korea (1 family).

Mechanical Engineering lost its dominant position (-52%), driven primarily by the decline in sheet metal forming research (B21D: 17 to 2 families). Meanwhile, Instruments emerged as the new growth area (+54%), fueled by sensor technologies and material analysis. This shift reflects a generational change in the inventor base rather than an institutional strategy change.

“Dauerbrenner” (Evergreens): C07D (heterocyclic compounds, 3+3) and H04B (transmission, 4+6) show consistent activity across both periods. These represent stable research strengths in pharmaceutical chemistry and telecommunications. Newcomers: H02M (power conversion, 0 to 3), H04W (wireless, 1 to 3), and the dramatic rise of G01N (materials analysis, 4 to 11) signal new research directions, likely linked to the sensor technology and 5G/communication groups of Profs. Palzer, Boecker, and Wietfeld.

The Tekkaya Effect: Prof. Tekkaya alone accounted for 20 of 62 families (32%) in the first period. His reduced patenting activity (5 families in the second period) is the single biggest driver of both the overall volume decline and the collapse of B21D sheet metal forming patents (17 to 2). Five new inventors emerged post-2019, each contributing 3–5 families, but none yet approach Tekkaya's prolific output.

PCT-First Strategy: The university shifted from a DE+EP dual-filing approach (2013–2018) to a DE+WO strategy (2019–2024). PCT filings grew from 24 to 29 (+21%) while EP direct filings dropped from 38 to 27 (-29%). This is a smart cost-optimization: PCT provides a 30-month window to decide on national phase entries, reducing upfront costs while preserving options. US filings nearly doubled (7 to 12), reflecting greater commercial interest in US markets.

Broadening Network: The collaboration portfolio shifted from primarily regional partners (2013–2018: KIT, Greifswald, ISAS) to a broader mix including major research organizations (Max-Planck, Fraunhofer), industry (Bayer, TRUMPF), and even international partners (Northeastern University, US). Only Universitaet Duisburg-Essen maintained a co-application relationship across both periods — a natural partner given the geographic proximity in the Ruhr region.

Strong Grant Performance (2013–2018): The EP grant rate of 57.9% and US grant rate of 71.4% are excellent for a university portfolio, indicating high patent quality. The low DE grant rate (14.9%) may reflect a higher number of applications that entered national phase but were not actively pursued at DPMA.

High-Impact Research: The most-cited family (45 citations) relates to hybrid power electronics simulation — a topic at the intersection of electrical engineering and control systems. Several top-cited families are in additive manufacturing (rank 3, 4) and metal forming (rank 10), reflecting Tekkaya's group's pioneering work. The DNA-Encoded Chemical Library patent (rank 8, Brunschweiger group) shows strong citation impact in pharmaceutical chemistry.

Visible Shift in Titles: 2013–2018 titles are dominated by metal forming, additive manufacturing, and power grid topics. 2019–2024 titles pivot toward sensors (photoacoustic, gas, motion sensing), biotechnology (cannabinoids, yeast production, DNA analysis), wireless communication (radio reflectors, localization), and new materials (OLEDs). The thematic evolution mirrors the IPC classification shift.

Important: This report counts patent families by filing year (when the application was submitted). DEPATISnet searches by publication year (when the document was published, typically 18 months later). For prolific inventors, this can create significant differences — e.g., Prof. Tekkaya has 5 families by filing year 2019–2024 in PATSTAT but 15 by publication year 2019–2024 in DEPATISnet, because 10 families filed in 2012–2018 were published in 2019+. Filing year is the standard metric for measuring inventive activity, as it reflects when the invention was made.