Examining the Patenting Activities of Universities in the Middle East and North Africa

Abstract This paper aims to examine universities' patenting activities in the Middle East and North Africa region. Patent data from Derwent Innovation is analyzed to provide key insights about such activities. Saudi Arabia leads the region in terms of the number of patents, followed by Turkey and Morocco. These three countries, which represent 87% of all academic patents, are also home to the most patenting academic institutions. Although the academic sector in MENA grew its patenting activity faster than the world, its patent volume base is still relatively low. The results also show the profile of the technological developments covered in MENA academic patents. Some of these inventions directly tackle societal health-related issues but also public environmental ones. The main academic assignees show a certain degree of collaboration with academic and corporate organizations. This study provides important input to research managers as well as policymakers to assess the research produced by universities from a technological and economic perspective.