The number of Russian patent applications has been growing for the third year in a row. Even despite the slowdown in growth in 2025, the trend continues. At the same time, the number of foreign applications continues to decline. In a number of areas, the gap has become multiple, especially in medical technologies.
According to Rospatent, 26,494 patent applications were submitted to the agency in 2025. Of these, 21,793 were filed by Russian applicants, which is 1.4% more than the year before. Foreign applications decreased by 9.5% and amounted to 4701.
The structure of Russian applications shows who exactly forms patent activity. In 2025, 39.7% of inventions came from universities and research institutes. Business accounted for 29.6%, individuals for 27.6%, and budgetary and non-profit organizations provided another 3.1%.
The most noticeable gap between Russian and foreign applications was recorded in medical technologies. In this area, 3082 applications were filed by Russian developers and 186 by foreign ones. The difference is 16.6 times. For comparison, in 2023 it was almost half as low and amounted to 8.3 times. In medicine, Russian developers are the fastest to occupy the vacated niches.
The situation in pharmaceuticals is somewhat different. Here, the gap is minimal: 794 Russian applications versus 695 foreign ones.
Separately, it is worth considering the segment of utility models, which usually relate to more applied solutions. In 2025, 13,192 applications were filed, of which 13,012 were Russian and 180 were foreign.
The greatest sectoral activity in utility models is observed in civil construction, transport and medical technologies. Experts attribute what is happening to the reduction in the presence of foreign companies in the Russian market, the course towards technological sovereignty and government support measures.