Debrecen4U
February 4, 2026
Debrecen Takes First Place in This Hungarian University Ranking
Hungary’s industrial property rights figures show significant growth for 2025, with the number of trademark applications rising to a level not seen in more than a decade.
Based on the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office’s (SZTNH) flash report summarizing its intellectual property protection results for 2025, the number of trademark applications exceeded 4,300 in 2025, representing a 14 percent increase compared to the previous year and marking a record high of more than ten years. 86 percent of the applications were submitted to the Office electronically, demonstrating the success of administrative digitalization and customer-friendly solutions.
The number of national patent applications — including both Hungarian and foreign applicants — did not change significantly compared to 2024; however, the share of Hungarian applicants increased by 12 percent. This growth may also indicate sustained confidence in the procedure and a growing demand for the utilization of domestic innovation results, they emphasized.
They reported that the increase in industrial design applications — and in the number of registered designs — exceeded 25 percent, rising from 132 to 166, while the number of utility model applications grew by 16 percent, from 305 to 350. The number of plant variety protection applications increased by 32 percent, from 37 to 49.
The statement also noted that Hungarian-origin industrial property applications filed via the national route increased in all major protection categories compared to 2024. The number of patent applications rose by 11 percent, from 480 to 533, design protection applications increased from 131 to 166, and 17 percent more trademark applications were filed, totaling 4,077 within one year.
They highlighted that the presence of universities in industrial property protection has strengthened. The ranking is led by the University of Debrecen with 31 applications, followed by the University of Szeged with 18 applications. The TOP 10 also includes the University of Miskolc, Széchenyi István University, Óbuda University, and Semmelweis University.
The number of international patent applications filed by universities increased by 28 percent, which clearly demonstrates Hungarian universities’ efforts to commercialize innovation not only in domestic but also in foreign markets, the statement said.
They added that universities are also strongly represented on the TOP 20 list of holders with the highest number of national patents: a total of seven Hungarian higher education institutions appear in the ranking, with the University of Szeged holding the best position with 16 valid patents.
The sectoral distribution of valid patents shows no significant shift; the pharmaceutical industry continues to lead the ranking, followed — without claiming completeness — by the instrumentation industry, the chemical industry, electronics, and the automotive industry.
The latest data show that domestic awareness of intellectual property protection continues to strengthen, and more and more stakeholders are recognizing the economic and competitiveness importance of industrial property protection. SZTNH plays a key role in this through its continuous professional support, information provision, and educational activities, which help make the acquisition of protection a natural part of the Hungarian innovation ecosystem, SZTNH said.
Source: dehir.hu | Photo credit: Debrecen városa (Facebook)
