The European Commission’s recent policy report reveals a surprising dichotomy: while Europe hosts about 32 % of the world’s quantum-technology companies, it accounts for only 6 % of global patent filings in the sector.
📌 Key figures:
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32 % of quantum-tech companies worldwide are based in Europe.
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Only ~6 % of quantum-technology patents originate from the EU region; China leads with ~46 %, the US ~23 %.
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Public investment: Over €2 billion by EU between 2012-2024, with global private VC in quantum about €6 billion by recent estimates.
Why this matters:
The numbers signal a structural challenge: Europe has the industrial and startup base, but the IP generation/lifecycle (patenting, scaling) is lagging. Even though many ventures emerge in Europe, the outcomes that drive long-term value — patents, exports, scalable IP — are not keeping pace.
Strategic implications:
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Industrial policy: Europe needs fewer silos, better coordination across member states and quantum initiatives.
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Talent & infrastructure: To convert R&D into patentable output, the ecosystem must strengthen manufacturing, control electronics, software layers, and commercial deployment.
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Global competition: With China and the US dominating filings, Europe risks being a follower in commercialization unless this gap closes.
Looking ahead:
Over the next decade, quantum is projected to become a multi-billion-dollar industry — the report estimates up to ~$97 billion revenue from quantum computing, communication and sensing combined by 2035.
For Europe to capture a meaningful slice of that, bridging the patent gap is not optional — it’s urgent.
✨ In short: Europe has the ambition and the companies — but turning innovation into protected, scalable assets will be the next big hurdle.