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Safran named among the Top 100 Global Innovators 2022
Safran has been named as one of the 100 most innovative groups in the world, according to the "Top 100 Global Innovators" 2022 ranking, published on February 23 by Clarivate Analytics. Having obtained 2nd place in the French patent applications ranking for 2021, this "Global InnovatorsTM" cements Safran's status as a world leader in intellectual property and innovation within the Group.
Produced by Clarivate Analytics (and previously by the American firm Thomson Reuters, which created the ranking in 2011), this study names the 100 best innovators worldwide every year. The ranking includes both private companies and public research centers, and is compiled with reference to four criteria: the number of patents published by the organization, their quality, their international scope, and their influence.
The aeronautics and defense sector is particularly well represented in this 2022 ranking, with seven companies: Safran, Thalès, Airbus, Boeing, GE, Raytheon Technologies and Rolls Royce, which appears for the first time in this TOP 100.
SAFRAN'S INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY STRATEGY
Safran's presence in this ranking is a strong indicator of the Group's consistent ability to innovate and protect its know-how.
In 2021, total Research and Development expenditure, including sales to customers, totaled €1,430m, compared to €1,213m in 2020 (see "2021 annual results").
In 2021, the Group was also ranked 2nd in the list of patent applicants (INPI ranking). In total, patent applications for 1,176 inventions were filed in 2021 by 1,700 different inventors.
"The protection method best suited to technological innovations is the patent," points out Jean-Marc Brunel, Director of Intellectual Property at Safran, "which explains Safran's proactive policy in this area. We are considered a world leader, not only in terms of the volume of patents, but also the quality and structure of our portfolio." The aim, after all, is not to patent every invention – which would be impossible without access to colossal resources – but rather to protect inventions which will make a real difference tomorrow. "Choices have to be made," Brunel says. "That's why the intellectual property strategy needs to be aligned with the Group's overall strategy and its technology roadmaps. That's how it works at Safran: Intellectual property is baked into the entire innovation process, from research through to development and commissioning." »
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