India has witnessed a remarkable surge in patent filings over the last four years, with applications nearly doubling from 58,503 in 2020-2021 to an impressive 110,375 projected for 2024-2025. This increase, equating to an annual growth rate of 17.2%, indicates a burgeoning interest in innovation and intellectual property within the country. However, a closer examination reveals that much of this growth is concentrated among a select group of institutions, primarily private universities and foreign entities.

Leading the charge is Lovely Professional University, which alone has filed an astounding 7,096 patents between 2020 and 2023. Another notable player, Galgotias University, recently made headlines for showcasing a Made-in-China AI robot dog at the India AI Summit, has also contributed significantly with 1,752 patent applications during the 2020-2022 period. In stark contrast, the renowned Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), known for their technological prowess, collectively submitted merely 2,333 patents between 2020 and 2025. This disparity raises questions about the landscape of research and development in India and the entities driving it.

However, despite this surge in applications, the number of patents granted has not kept pace. In the fiscal year 2024-2025, only 33,504 patents were awarded, which is approximately one-third of the new applications filed. The previous year saw 103,057 patents granted, largely due to the resolution of backlog issues within the patent office. As this backlog has been cleared, the number of granted patents has fallen while applications continue to rise, suggesting a troubling strain on the patent examination system.

Compounding this issue is the decline in the number of patent applications that are being examined, plummeting from 18,438 in 2023-2024 to just 15,726 in 2024-2025. This slowdown in scrutiny highlights the challenges facing the patent office, which must balance a growing influx of applications with available resources for timely reviews.

Equally important is the distribution of granted patents among applicants. Of the 33,504 patents awarded in 2024-2025, only 10,682 were attributed to Indian applicants, with the majority going to foreign filers, many of whom navigated the Patent Cooperation Treaty process. This trend points to a significant disparity in the domestic share of patents, which does not necessarily reflect a deficiency in research capabilities. Instead, it may indicate variances in application drafting expertise, commercial orientation, or even strategic focus among different entities.

The landscape of innovation in India is evolving, with private universities emerging as key players in the patent arena, while foreign companies continue to dominate the grants. As the government and policy-makers look to bolster domestic research and innovation, addressing the challenges within the patent examination process will be critical. This includes enhancing the capacity of the patent office to handle the increasing volume of applications and ensuring that Indian innovators receive the recognition and support they need to thrive in a competitive global market.