Lok Sabha Question No. 3952 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-17
Subject: Patents Applied Sanctioned
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Dr. Anand Kumar

## 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 17 TH  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:
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 pregrant  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  remains

| Financial Year            | Overall Filing of Patent Applications   | Patent Applications Filed by Educational   | Patent Applications Filed by Top 50 Filers from Educational Institutions   | Patent Applications Filed by Top 50 Filers from Educational Institutions   | Patent Applications Filed by Top 50 Filers from Educational Institutions   |
|---------------------------|-----------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|                           |                                         | Institutions                               | Government Institute                                                       | Private Institute                                                          | Total                                                                      |
| 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 (till 02.03.2026) | 1,26,558                                | 49,531                                     | 442                                                                        | 25,201                                                                     | 25,643                                                                     |

moderated. The number of patents granted to Educational Institutions during recent years is as under:

| Financial Year            | Patents Granted to All Educational Institutes   | Patents Granted to Top 50 Filers from Educational Institutions   | Patents Granted to Top 50 Filers from Educational Institutions   | Patents Granted to Top 50 Filers from Educational Institutions   |
|---------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------|
|                           |                                                 | 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 (upto 02.03.2026) | 2,512                                           | 266                                                              | 190                                                              | 456                                                              |

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.

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