AACHEN HIGH-TECH PATENTS
[BIZ/SCI-TECH: Aachen, December 6] The distinction between Aachen and its neighbors — Cologne with 34, Düsseldorf with 26, and Bonn 20 — is striking. Aachen equaled Munich, a larger city and it can equal Cambridge in England using proportional (population) measures.
Aachen leads in the European patent stakes. According to the most recently published data from the European Patent Office, applications in Aachen rose from 19 in 1998 to 106 in 2002. This is, in particular, thanks to the research centers of Philips, Grünenthal, Ericsson, and Ford, and to the universities in the region. Aachen recorded 147 high-tech patents, the district of Aachen 17, the district of Düren 18, the district of Euskirchen 2, and the district of Heinsberg 4.
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