U.Porto leads innovation in Portugal and is the university submitting more patents in Europe

The European Patent Office (EPO) annual report reinforces the status of U.Porto - including Colleges and Associated Institutes - as one of the main drivers of innovation in Portugal, as well as the University that submits more patents in Europe.

U.Porto registered 18 new invention communications, coming from the faculties of Architecture, Sciences, Engineering, Pharmacy, Letters and ICBAS. 67 international applications were also submitted in territories such as Europe, the United States, Canada or China.

These figures led the University of Porto to reach, the mark of 700 patents submitted both nationally and internationally last year. U.Porto ended 2019 with 339 patents and active patent applications in its portfolio.

Of the 17 patents submitted, and whose first holder is the University of Porto or an Associated Institute, six were managed by U.Porto Inovação - the knowledge transfer office of the University of Porto - and are inventions developed by researchers from U.Porto.

These six inventions are distributed by the faculties of Sciences (FCUP), Engineering (FEUP), Pharmacy (FFUP) and Medicine (FMUP), and include an innovative antioxidant capable of reaching the mitochondria of skin cells and, thus, maintaining their properties and minimizing the effects of oxidation; a hydrogel that makes electroencephalograms more comfortable for patients; ways to use olive pomace in the natural cosmetics and food supplements industry; and a biomarker for prenatal screening for fetus-fetal transfusion syndrome, a condition that can arise in twin pregnancies.