Companies and inventors from around the world, including Romania, filed 199,264 patent applications with the European Patent Office (EPO) last year, with the majority in the area of information technology, according to the 2024 Patent Index, published on Tuesday.According to an EPO press release, Romania submitted 63 applications for European patents (+50% compared to 2023), with the main areas being medical technology (11 applications) and IT-related areas, including information technology and IT methods for management (8). The strongest Romanian applicant was, for the second consecutive year, "Stefan cel Mare" University of Suceava.Of the total applications submitted to the EPO in 2024, computer technology, which includes areas of AI such as machine learning and pattern recognition, was the leading field for the first time, with 16 815 patent applications in 2024. Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy posted the strongest growth last year (+8.9% on 2023), driven by advances in clean energy technologies, particularly battery innovation (+24.0%).The Unitary Patent system launched in 2023 continues to gain momentum, offering innovators simpler and more accessible patent protection across 18 EU member states with a single request to the EPO. Romania will join this system starting September 1, 2024, meaning that from that date, all European patents with unitary effect will automatically cover Romania as well.According to last year's centralised data, unitary protection was requested for 25.6% of all European patents granted by the EPO in 2024, totalling over 28,000 requests - a 53% increase compared to 2023 (18,300 requests). Patentees from EPO member states had the highest uptake rate, with 36.5% of their European patents transformed into Unitary PatentsFor Romania, the acceptance rate was 52.6%, while for other regions, it was lower: South Korea (18.9%), China (17.9%), the USA (16%) and Japan (7.9%).
The ASTRA Center for Activities and Regional Resources in Sibiu, a medieval guildhall turned into a training and cultural hub, is among this year’s winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards in the Education, Training and Skills category. The Sibiu center has set “a national precedent for recognizing traditional crafts, professionalizing artisans, […]
Symmetrica, Romania’s leading producer of vibropressed paving stones and curbs, has finalized a EUR 15 million investment in a new production facility in Doaga, Vrancea county. The site becomes the company’s largest industrial center, spanning 30 hectares and including four production halls and a logistics warehouse. The new facility, built on infrastructure previously owned by […]
Froo, the convenience store format developed by Poland’s Żabka Group, opened its 100th store in Romania, just 12 months after entering the market. The expansion reflects the group’s rapid rollout strategy and growing footprint in Romanian urban and residential areas. Since entering the Romanian market, Froo stores opened in Bucharest, Pitești, and Constanța, averaging one […]
For the 11th consecutive year, the organizers of Untold are celebrating academic excellence through the “BAC de 10” campaign, offering free festival passes to students who score a perfect 10 on their national Baccalaureate exam. Over the past decade, more than 1,600 high school graduates have received complimentary access to the festival as part of […]
Symfonia Group, a leading provider of innovative software solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises in Poland, has added another tech company to its portfolio, by acquiring the local software company NextUp. NextUp is a fast-growing company based in Bucharest, delivering ERP type software to Romanian businesses. "Both in Poland and in Romania, our goal is […]
Romanian dessert producer Senneville has officially opened a new state-of-the-art refrigerated dessert factory in Călan, Hunedoara county. The facility is the first of its kind entirely developed by a Romanian-owned company and represents a EUR 4 million investment funded through a combination of company capital, bank loans, and EU support via the Just Transition Program […]
