China Completes National Patent Screening to Boost University Commercialisation
China has completed a nationwide screening of more than 1.3 million patents held by universities and research institutions, as part of a government effort to strengthen the commercial use of publicly funded research. The initiative identified hundreds of thousands of patents with market potential and matched them with companies, addressing long-standing barriers that have kept many academic inventions from reaching industry. The programme forms part of a broader push to link innovation policy with economic development.
According to the State Council’s announcement, the review was led by the China National Intellectual Property Administration and represents the first systematic assessment of patent stock across the higher education and research sector. It identified around 680,000 invention patents with strong prospects for commercialisation and connected them with approximately 460,000 enterprises nationwide.
From patent stocktaking to market application
The screening exercise is a core element of a special action plan for patent transformation and utilisation issued by the State Council in 2023. A central objective of the plan is to sort, evaluate and revitalise existing patents generated by universities and research institutes, many of which have historically remained unused.
Over the past three years, around 80,000 invention patents from more than 2,700 universities and research institutions have entered the market. Officials say this reflects early progress in narrowing the gap between laboratory research and industrial deployment, particularly in strategic technology areas.
“By the end of 2025, the industrialisation rates of these patents from universities and research institutes had reached 10.1 percent and 17.2 percent, respectively, showing greater improvement compared with the pre-action period,” — Hu Wenhui, Deputy Commissioner, China National Intellectual Property Administration
Focus on future-oriented technologies
Hu said the action plan prioritises key core technology patents aligned with future industries, including quantum technology, bio-manufacturing, brain–computer interfaces and 6G communications. These areas are seen as laying the groundwork for high-value patent commercialisation and long-term industrial competitiveness.
Small and medium-sized enterprises specialising in so-called “hard tech” have been among the beneficiaries. In Zhejiang Province, several fast-growing firms participating in a patent industrialisation programme have scaled up by leveraging protected technologies, highlighting the role of intellectual property in regional innovation ecosystems.
Addressing structural barriers to patent transfer
Despite China becoming the first country to hold more than 5 million valid domestic invention patents, officials acknowledge that industrialisation rates remain relatively low, particularly within universities. Data from 2022 showed that only 3.9 percent of university invention patents were commercialised, leaving a substantial volume of research outputs underutilised.
Authorities attribute this to several factors, including limited commercial awareness among researchers, lengthy and risky transfer processes, a shortage of skilled technology transfer professionals and weaknesses in the wider patent transaction ecosystem. In response, a range of policy measures has been introduced to improve incentives and reduce friction.
These measures include pre-application evaluations for laboratory inventions, rewarding researchers for successful commercial outcomes rather than patent filings alone, establishing specialist transfer platforms and allowing mechanisms such as technology shareholding to support spin-outs. Similar approaches are also evident in China’s broader international technology engagement, including bilateral innovation partnerships and applied research collaboration.
Use of data and AI in patent evaluation
The Ministry of Education is exploring the use of artificial intelligence and big data to develop detailed profiles of university patents, helping to identify potential value and application scenarios. Officials say these tools could support more evidence-based decisions on which inventions are best suited for industrial uptake.
This data-driven approach reflects a wider policy trend across the region, seen in initiatives such as joint AI research programmes and government-led efforts to connect research outputs with real-world needs.
“Inventions that simply sit in labs are like castles in the air. Technology must move out of the lab and onto the production line to become tangible products that people can see, touch and use in their daily lives,” — Wei Wei, Official, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
