Ahmedabad: The year 2025 recorded filing of 3,615 patents by Gujarat-based institutions and individuals at the rate of about 10 patents a day. It was the highest ever for the state as the number of annual patents filed has tripled in three years from 1,199 in 2022.
In the first three months of 2026 alone, the patents filed is 1,450, according to data of the office of the controller general of patents, designs and trademarks, department for promotion of industry and internal trade of govt of India. To put the figure in perspective, the decadal (2015-2025) filing rate is around 1,500 patents annually.
Some patents granted to state-based innovators include an improved process for fabricating soft-body bulletproof armour, hydrogel for minimally invasive surgery, autonomous hexapods for disaster relief, and cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) applications to highlight the broad spectrum of disciplines.
Dr Narottam Sahoo, adviser to the Gujarat Council on Science and Technology, said that the Intellectual Property Facilitation Centre helps innovators and researchers go through the process of filing an IP. "For any developing economy, IP is a major asset and booster for research-based innovations and self-reliance. With 58 IP cells across universities and institutions and IP and Innovation Labs established in all districts of Gujarat, we are witnessing a rise in awareness and applications," he said.
Prof Nisheeth Desai, scientific adviser to the IP India of the government of India, said that state-based educational institutions have produced some good work over the decades, but earlier there was a lack of awareness. "Today, doctoral research is often linked with industry applications, and it is a win-win. We need much more academia-industry linkage where the IPs can help further the discipline," he said.
Analysis of the 3,725 patents granted to Gujarat-based researchers so far indicates that chemistry has received the highest number of patents at 1,237, followed by 692 for mechanical engineering, 387 for communication engineering, 257 for biomedical discipline, and 223 for electrical engineering, among others.
In terms of absolute number of patent filing and receiving patents, the state has a long way to go, indicate experts. In 2025, the state was at the eighth spot, whereas Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Maharashtra filed over 10,000 patents.
Prof Anirbid Sircar from Pandit Deendayal Energy University (PDEU) said that his team has received four design patents in 2025-26 in the domain of renewable energy. "Taking IP for invention empowers you to collaborate with industry. Our two patents are ready for transfer towards industry. We are working on systematic protocols," he said.
In other IPs, however, Gujarat has fared better. In design registration, Gujarat ranks second in India; in trademark registration, the state is third in India; and in copyright registration, the state is fifth in India, according to IP India data of the past one decade.
