China Completes First Nationwide Patent Audit of Universities and Research Institutes

China’s intellectual property authority said it has completed its first-ever inventory of the patent portfolios held by universities and research institutes, covering more than 1.3 million patents. The move is being presented as a step toward improving the commercialization and management of technological inventions in one of the world’s largest patent systems.

According to the announcement published by Xinhua on March 24, the audit was carried out by the State Intellectual Property Office of China and is intended to strengthen the use of patents generated in academia and public research.

The review is significant beyond China because the country remains a major global driver of patent activity, especially in technology-related fields. Analysts often view large-scale patent audits and portfolio cleanups as a signal that authorities are trying to convert research output into market-ready innovation more efficiently.