TN emerges as India’s patent powerhouse, caters to 17% of patents filed nationwide

CHENNAI: With a 46 per cent rise in patents filed in 2022-2023 compared to 2021-2022, Tamil Nadu redefines the tech landscape and emerges as the most valuable player in the country for patents acquired.

According to Intellectual Property India’s annual report 2022-23, Tamil Nadu occupies the first position with 7,686 patents, while Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh come in at second and third with 5,626 and 5,564, respectively.

Tamil Nadu contributes 17 per cent of the national share in patent filings with 7,686 of 43,301 patents. In 2021-22, Tamil Nadu filed 5,262 patents; in 2022-23, with a 46 per cent increase, it filed 7,686 patents.

The total number of patent applications filed in 2022-2023 also saw a 24.46 per cent hike compared to the filing figure in 2021-2022.

Computer Science and Electronics, Communication, Mechanical and Electrical fields particularly saw an impressive number of applications filed while most sectors showed modest to high growth this year.

Out of 82,811 applications filed, the number of applications filed by Indian applicants stood at 43,301, which shows a 46.74 per cent increase over last year’s figure of 29,508. Consistent with the growing trend in past years, applications filed by Indians have also shown remarkable growth this year. The number of applications filed by foreign applicants during the year (39,510) has grown to 6.9 per cent compared to the number of applications (36,932) filed during 2021-22.

This year states like Karnataka, Punjab, Telangana and Uttarakhand, along with UTs like Delhi and Chandigarh, also showed an increase over their last year’s filing, hence contributing immensely to the overall patent applications filed by Indians.

In the Scientific Research and Development Organizations category, the Indian Institute of Technology (collectively) tops (803), followed by the Hindustan College of Engineering and Technology (302). Shobhit Institute of Engineering and Technology and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research occupied third and fourth, respectively.

D Muthukrishnan, a certified financial planner, commented, “Spending on Research and Development is investing for the future, and TN takes the lead. About 17 per cent of patents filed are from a single state, Tamil Nadu. We have the mammoth task of attaining $1 trillion in GDP by 2030. So, we need to fire on all cylinders. R&D is one such.”