Bright Thuringian minds continue to drive up the number of patent applications filed in the state: Thuringia is the per-capita leader of Germany’s eastern states. It ranks in the middle nationwide with 606 applications and notched up an increase of 18 percent in 2020. Most of the patent applications come from Thuringia’s medical equipment sector, followed by the optics industry and applications for electrical machines or devices. The German government has responded to this welcome trend by significantly expanding its Patent and Trademark Office in Jena. It plans to create around 110 additional jobs and three new departments in the City of Light by 2024. (gro)
