Parliament Question: Patents Applied Sanctioned

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT FOR PROMOTION OF INDUSTRY AND INTERNAL TRADE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3952. TO BE ANSWERED ON TUESDAY, THE 17TH MARCH, 2026. PATENTS APPLIED SANCTIONED 3952. DR. ANAND KUMAR: Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY be pleased to state: वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री (a) whether there has been a significant increase in the number of patent applications filed by universities, particularly private universities in recent years; (b) whether it has come to the notice of the Government that some institutions are filing patent applications, which lack the required innovation or utility only for the purpose of obtaining Government grants/incentives, if so, the details thereof; (c) whether the grant/incentive provided by the Government is based only on filing of patent application or is it also linked to granting patent, technology transfer and commercialization, if so, the details thereof; (d) whether the Government has evaluated the approval rate, quality standards of patents filed by such institutions and their impact on actual innovation and commercialization, if so, the details thereof; and (e) whether any comprehensive review or robust checking mechanism is being considered to ensure the effective use of public funds, promotion of quality research and genuine innovation, if so, the details thereof? ANSWER वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्रालय में राज्य मंत्री (श्री णिणिन प्रसाद) THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA) (a) to (e): The Government has undertaken several measures to strengthen the patent ecosystem in the country, particularly aimed at startups, MSMEs and educational institutions. Major steps in this regard include the following:- i. 80% reduction in patent fees has been provided to Startups, MSMEs and Educational Institutions across the patent lifecycle. ii. A provision for Expedited Examination of patent applications has been introduced for Startups, MSMEs, Female Applicants, Government Departments/Institutions/PSUs and applicants electing India as the International Searching Authority, among others, under Rule 24C of the Patents Rules, 2003 (as amended).iii. In order to empower educational institutions as engines of knowledge and innovation, the Government launched the National IP Awareness Mission (NIPAM) in December 2021 under the aegis of the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks. More than 9,500 awareness programmes across all 28 States and 8 Union Territories has been conducted among over 25 lakh students and faculty members. iv. The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), through the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), implements programmes supporting innovation and commercialization. Under the BIRAC–PATH (Patenting and Technology Transfer for Harnessing Innovations) programme, grant support is provided for patent drafting, filing, prosecution and maintenance for a limited period, up to the stage of grant of patent in India or commercialization of the technology in India, whichever is earlier. v. Under the National Biopharma Mission (NBM), support is provided across the innovation lifecycle, including intellectual property management, technology validation, licensing and commercialization, thereby facilitating the translation of research outcomes into market-ready products. 2. As a result of the various initiatives aimed at strengthening the innovation and patent ecosystems in the country, there has been a significant increase in patent filings in recent years, including by Educational Institutions. Data relating to public and private universities is not maintained separately, and all such filings are recorded under the category “Educational Institutes”. The details of patent applications filed by all Educational Institutes and the Top 50 filers in this category are as under: Financial Year Overall Filing Patent Patent Applications Filed by Top of Patent Applications 50 Filers from Educational Applications Filed by Institutions Educational Government Private Total Institutions Institute Institute 2022–23 82,808 19,191 472 11,131 11,603 2023–24 92,163 23,413 730 12,575 13,305 2024–25 1,10,372 37,679 615 19,540 20,155 2025–26 1,26,558 49,531 442 25,201 25,643 (till 02.03.2026) 3. The patent applications are granted only after substantive examination to determine compliance with the requirements of novelty, inventive step and industrial applicability under the Patents Act, 1970. The examination process follows a two-tier system, wherein applications are examined by an Examiner and subsequently reviewed by the Controller. The Act also provides for pre- grant opposition by any person and post-grant opposition by any interested person, thereby ensuring that only genuine and quality patents are granted. 4. Due to the robust examination and grant process in place at the Office of CGPDTM, the number of patents granted in comparison to filings remainsmoderated. The number of patents granted to Educational Institutions during recent years is as under: Financial Patents Granted to Patents Granted to Top 50 Filers from Educational Year All Educational Institutions Institutes Government Private Total 2022-23 816 236 76 312 2023-24 3,335 632 569 1201 2024-25 2,721 193 399 592 2025-26 2,512 266 190 456 (upto 02.03.2026) Note: Patent grants in a given financial year may relate to applications filed in earlier years owing to statutory timelines such as publication, request for examination and examination processes under the Patents Act, 1970 and the Patents Rules, 2003. 5. There are other monitoring mechanisms instituted by various Ministries and Departments to review and ensure effective utilisation of public funds and promotion of quality research and genuine innovation. Illustratively: i. The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has governance and review mechanisms such as Finance Committees, Governing Bodies and Research Advisory Boards oversee research programmes and utilisation of funds. In addition, mission-mode programmes monitor projects through milestone-based disbursement and expert review. ii. In the Ministry of Railways, research and development projects are undertaken through structured project selection, milestone-based monitoring and evaluation based on defined Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) prior to deployment and transfer to industry for wider application. iii. For Ministry of Textiles, under the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM), a multi-tier review and monitoring mechanism has been established. Research proposals are initially scrutinized by an independent Sub-Committee and subsequently examined by the Committee for Technical Textiles Research, Development and Innovation (CTTRDI) with evaluation by domain experts. *******